Anna 
The Navy baseball team secured a 7-4 victory over Manhattan in its 2025 home opener on Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The win marked the Midshipmen’s second of the season, improving their record to 2-5.
Freshman right-hander Kody Clancy started strong, tossing three solid innings and allowing just one earned run. He was backed up by a strong performance from the Navy bullpen, which was instrumental in preserving the lead. Juniors Brock Murtha and Victor Izquierdo, along with freshman catcher Ty DePerno, each contributed two hits to the offensive effort.
The Midshipmen took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Murtha ignited the rally with a two-out single, followed by a Manhattan error and a stolen base, which allowed him to advance to third. Izquierdo drove him in with an RBI single, and a second error from Manhattan allowed Andrew Manning to score from third.
Manhattan cut the lead in half in the third inning when a Navy fielding error allowed Ryan Lordier to score from second. However, Clancy responded by striking out Colin Basehore to prevent further damage.
The game remained close through the middle innings as Navy’s bullpen kept the Jaspers in check. Junior Jackson Beattie recorded 9 strikeouts while allowing just one hit in 3.1 shutout innings, and senior Owen Beisty notched two key strikeouts in the seventh to keep the lead intact.
DePerno’s two-out solo home run in the seventh gave Navy a two-run cushion, but Manhattan again threatened in the eighth. A two-out double from Basehore followed by an RBI single from Jeremy Sosa cut the lead to 7-3. However, Navy’s defense held firm as senior Landon Kruer struck out Trevor Hansen to end the threat.
Navy extended its lead in the bottom of the eighth with three more runs. Murtha singled in Henry Mitchell, Izquierdo tripled to score both Murtha and Manning, and DePerno followed with an RBI single to push the score to 7-2.
Manhattan fought back in the ninth with two RBI singles, but Kruer closed the game with a groundout, earning his first save of the season.
Clancy earned the win, allowing one earned run over three innings while striking out four. Beattie picked up the victory with his shutout performance in relief, while Beisty and Kruer provided key support in the middle and final innings.
Manhattan’s Preston Tamm took the loss despite pitching six strong innings, allowing only one earned run. Cade Udell struggled in relief, giving up five runs in 1.1 innings.
Coach Chuck Ristano praised the team’s effort: “It’s nice to be back at home. Having a good crowd and some good baseball is a tough day to beat. I’m really happy with what we got from Clancy, Beattie, and Beisty. They kept us in it during the middle innings when the game was in the balance.”
Game Notes:
- Murtha’s career-high four stolen bases were the most by a Navy player since 2005.
- Izquierdo recorded a career-high three RBIs.
- Kruer’s 26th career save puts him two away from tying the Patriot League record of 28 saves.
Up Next: Navy will host Sacred Heart at 3 p.m. on Friday to begin a three-game series.
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