CAPE SAINT CLAIRE, Md. (Interstat) — Army Black Knights opened a doubleheader with a 16-4 victory over the Navy Midshipmen on Sunday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium, behind a seven-run first inning and a six-RBI performance from catcher Jack Quinlan.

The Black Knights improved to 28-18 overall, while Navy fell to 30-17 in the first game of the Patriot League twin bill.

Army sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the first. After a walk to Josiah Overbeek and a walk to Chris Barr, Thomas Schre singled to load the bases. Will Park lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Overbeek for the first run. Carter Hewitt followed with a two-run double to left center that plated Schre and Barr. After a walk to Mason Scott, Paul Andrzej singled to load the bases again. Quinlan then crushed a 1-0 pitch down the right-field line for a grand slam, scoring Hewitt, Scott and Andrzej and giving Army a 7-0 lead.

Navy starter Owen Phypers was lifted after allowing seven runs without recording an out. Adyn Lucero entered and surrendered a single to Overbeek but escaped further damage.

Army added a run in the second inning. Schre was hit by a pitch, Park walked and Hewitt walked to load the bases. Scott’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Schre, making it 8-0.

The score remained 8-0 until the fourth, when Army manufactured another run. Park walked, Hewitt singled and after a groundout and a fielder’s choice, Hewitt stole home with Paul Andrzej at the plate, padding the lead to 9-0.

Army broke the game open again in the fifth. Zac Farrell was hit by a pitch, and Overbeek belted a two-run homer to right field, his first of the game, pushing the lead to 11-0.

Navy finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Trey Ates, who had thrown five scoreless innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts, gave way to Michael Delph. Navy loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. Designated hitter Patrick Walsh then launched a grand slam to right field, scoring Cripe, Klug and Brown to cut the deficit to 11-4.

Army answered emphatically in the seventh. With one out, Hewitt walked, Scott singled in Park, and after a wild pitch scored Hewitt, Quinlan doubled to left field, driving in Scott and Andrzej. Farrell followed with an RBI single to cap the scoring at 16-4.

Quinlan finished 2 for 4 with a home run, double and six RBIs. Overbeek went 3 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. Hewitt reached base three times, walked three times and scored three runs. Ates earned the win with five innings of work, allowing no hits and three earned runs while striking out three.

For Navy, Walsh was 1 for 3 with the grand slam and four RBIs. Lucero tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits and one earned run. John Carroll recorded the only scoreless relief appearance for the Midshipmen, throwing one-third of an inning.

The game was the 10th in the last 11 head-to-head meetings between the service academies. Army had won four of the previous five matchups, including a 5-4 victory in 13 innings the day before.

Quinlan entered the game hitless in his last two appearances and 1 for 3 in the previous win against Navy.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Army with a 56.30 percent probability to win.