ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Interstat) — The Navy baseball team erupted for six runs in the second inning and rode a dominant start from right-hander Matt Archibald to an 11-3 victory over Dartmouth in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

The Midshipmen, improving to 10-4 overall, avenged a 3-1 loss to the Big Green from the previous day. Dartmouth fell to 2-7.

The decisive surge came in the bottom of the second, transforming a 3-2 Navy deficit into a commanding lead. Will Howard sparked the rally with a double. After a strikeout, shortstop Tyler Cripe launched a two-run homer down the right-field line to put Navy ahead 4-3. Noah Ditas followed with a triple and later scored on a wild pitch. Victor Izquierdo walked, stole second and came home on an RBI double from Andrew Manning. By the time the inning ended, Navy had sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring six runs on five hits to take a 6-3 advantage.

That outburst provided more than enough support for Archibald, who delivered a masterful performance. The senior pitcher worked six strong innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits. He struck out nine batters and walked one, effectively silencing the Dartmouth lineup after the Big Green had pushed across three early runs. Archibald’s outing continued a run of solid starts, following a 13-strikeout performance against Saint Bonaventure on Feb. 28.

Navy’s offense, which amassed 14 hits, added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings before putting the game out of reach with a three-run sixth. In that frame, Ditas singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single from Jake Hooten, who later came home on Izquierdo’s single. Manning drove in Izquierdo with another single, and Manning eventually scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 11-3.

Dartmouth’s offense, limited to six hits, scored all its runs without the benefit of a big inning. The Big Green plated a run in the third on an RBI double by Milo Suarez that scored Alejandro Puig, who had walked and advanced on a wild pitch. Their final two runs came in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Suarez, both unearned due to a Navy fielding error.

Andrew Lombana took the loss for Dartmouth. Entering in relief to start the fifth inning, he was charged with four earned runs over four innings of work, though he did not allow a hit until the sixth.

For Navy, Ditas went 3 for 4 with a triple and three runs scored. Izquierdo also had three hits, including a triple, with an RBI and three runs. Manning and Ty DePerno each drove in two runs.

The teams were scheduled to conclude the three-game series with the second game of the doubleheader later Saturday.