ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Interstat) — Brady Bendik continued his dominant stretch with seven scoreless innings, and the Navy offense erupted for six runs in the sixth to power the Midshipmen past Lehigh 8-0 on Saturday in the first game of a Patriot League doubleheader at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

The game, a pitcher’s duel for five innings, turned decisively in the bottom of the sixth when Navy sent 11 batters to the plate. The Midshipmen capitalized on a wild pitch and key hits from Evan Brown, Tyler Cripe and Victor Izquierdo to break open a one-run contest.

Bendik was the story for most of the afternoon. The Navy starter allowed just two hits, struck out nine and walked one, overpowering a Lehigh lineup that managed only two singles against him. He retired the final 10 batters he faced. Bendik’s performance followed a near-perfect outing on March 27 against Army, where he threw eight hitless innings in a no-decision.

Lehigh starter Sam Fairhurst matched Bendik through five innings, allowing no hits but three unearned runs. He walked four and struck out two. The Mountain Hawks’ defense, however, betrayed him early. A two-out throwing error by the third baseman in the second inning allowed Ty DePerno, who had been hit by a pitch and stolen second, to score the game’s first run.

Navy added a run in the fifth on an RBI double from Izquierdo, making it 2-0. Fairhurst was pulled after walking the leadoff man in the sixth, and the Midshipmen quickly pounced on the Lehigh bullpen. A wild pitch by reliever Ian R. brought home one run. Brown then laced a two-run single to center, scoring DePerno and Patrick Walsh to extend the lead to 5-0.

After Declan Wilkes entered for Lehigh, Cripe tripled to drive in another run, and Izquierdo followed with an RBI single to complete the six-run outburst. Izquierdo finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Brown drove in two, and Cripe had an RBI triple.

Robbie Carvelli had both of Lehigh’s hits, a single in the second and a double in the seventh. The Mountain Hawks put only three runners in scoring position all game and never advanced one past second base.

The most important sequence of the game was Navy’s relentless sixth inning. What had been a tight, 2-0 contest defined by Bendik’s brilliance and Lehigh’s defensive mistake unraveled completely as the Midshipmen strung together walks, timely hits and aggressive baserunning. The inning transformed a tense league opener into a comfortable victory, showcasing Navy’s offensive depth and capitalizing on Lehigh’s pitching change.

With the win, Navy improved to 17-11 overall and 1-0 in Patriot League play. Lehigh fell to 5-20 overall, 0-1 in the league. The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.