WEST POINT, N.Y. – No. 1 Army West Point exploded for 16 runs between the second and fourth innings to overcome a four-run deficit, defeating No. 2 Bucknell, 21-5, to capture their fifth straight Patriot League Baseball crown.
 
The Black Knights reached the 20-run mark for the second time during the Championship Series, the fifth time that the feat has been accomplished in Patriot League Baseball Championship history. Army West Point broke a League Championship record, scoring 66 runs in five games through the two-round tournament, eclipsing Bucknell’s mark of 49 runs from the 2010 championship.
 
Senior shortstop Kevin Dubrule went 5-for-6 with two home runs, and a Patriot League Championship record-tying six RBIs to earn Tournament MVP honors. The Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year batted .524 (11-for-21) with 10 RBIs and six runs scored during the Tournament. He was joined on the Patriot League All-Tournament Team by junior centerfielder Braden Golinski, junior third baseman Sam Ruta and sophomore DH Coleson Titus.
 
Bucknell third baseman Sean Keys went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs to earn All-Tournament honors. He also tied the Patriot League Championship record with four doubles in four games. He was joined by junior leftfielder Jacob Corson and junior shortstop Anthony Sherwin.
 
Lafayette’s Luke Craytor (Fr., RHP) and Ben Petrone (So., 2B), and Navy’s Nate Mitchell (Sr., RHP) and Eduardo Diaz (Jr., SS) were also selected to the All-Tournament Team.
 
2023 Patriot League Baseball All-Tournament Team
Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point, Sr., SS – Most Valuable Player
Braden Golinski, Army West Point, Jr., CF
Sam Ruta, Army West Point, Jr., 3B
Coleson Titus, Army West Point, So., DH
Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Jr., LF
Sean Keys, Bucknell, So., 3B
Anthony Sherwin, Bucknell, Jr., SS
Luke Craytor, Lafayette, Fr., RHP
Ben Petrone, Lafayette, So., 2B
Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Jr., SS
Nate Mitchell, Navy, Sr., RHP
 
The Black Knights will learn their postseason destination when the 64-team field is announced during the NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show on Monday, May 29. Live coverage begins at noon ET on ESPN2. Fans can also stream the show on ESPN+.
 
For more information on the 2023 Patriot League Baseball Championship, visit CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL.
 
No. 2 Bucknell at No. 1 Army West Point (Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field/West Point, N.Y.)

Date	Game	Time/Result	Coverage
Saturday, May 20	Championship Series – Bucknell at Army West Point	Postponed	ESPN+
Sunday, May 21	Championship Series – Bucknell at Army West Point	Army, 20-5	ESPN+
Monday, May 22	Championship Series – Bucknell at Army West Point	Army, 21-6	ESPN+

 
2023 Patriot League Baseball Championship – Championship Series
At NO. 1 ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (38-16, 21-4 PL) 21, NO. 2 BUCKNELL BISON (23-23-1, 14-11 PL) 5
Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field/West Point, N.Y.                                               1 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Kevin Dubrule went 5-for-6 with two home runs and Patriot League Championship record-tying six RBIs to earn Patriot League Championship MVP and lead top-seeded Army West Point to its fifth straight League crown with a 16-5 win over No. 2 Bucknell.
*Junior catcher Derek Berg went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs, including a three-run home run in the third inning. Freshman left fielder Addison Ainsworth went 1-for-2 with two runs, three RBIs and one double, tying the Patriot League Championship record with four in two weekends.
*All nine Army starters recorded a hit, with eight different players crossing the plate and seven driving in at least one run.
*Junior RHP Mike Ruggieri earned the win for the Black Knights allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits over six innings.
*Bucknell’s Sean Keys went 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the Bison in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
*Sophomore third baseman Sean Keys doubled down the right-field line to drive in two runs, giving the Bison a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
*Bucknell extended the lead to four runs in the top of the second inning when centerfielder Kyle Lyons and catcher Nic Adamo scored on a failed pickoff attempt.
*The Black Knights evened the score at four in the bottom of the second inning, as left fielder Addison Ainsworth was hit by pitch with the bases loaded before Braden Golinski scored on Chris Barr’s foul out. Catcher Derek Berg followed with a two-run triple.
*Dubrule hit a solo home run over the wall in left-center to lead off the bottom of the third inning to put Army West Point in front 5-4.
*Two batters later, Golinski hit a two-run homer to right-center to extend the Black Knights’ lead to 7-4.
*Army tacked on four more runs in the third inning on Barr’s RBI single and a three-run home from Berg.
*After Adamo drove in a run in the Bison fourth inning, the Black Knights added five more runs capped by a pair of two-run singles from Ainsworth and third baseman Sam Ruta to extend the lead to 16-5.
*Dubrule singled to centerfield to drive in Barr in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend the Black Knights’ lead to 17-5.
*The senior shortstop added a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Army a 21-5 lead, the fifth time in Patriot League Championship history that a team has topped scored 20 or more runs and the second time in the series.
RECAPS: BUCKNELL | ARMY WEST POINT
 
Patriot League Championship Records Tied or Broken
Broken
*Runs Scored, Tournament – 62, Army West Point
Tied
*Runs Scored, Inning – 10, Army West Point (3rd Inning), vs. Bucknell (5.21.23)
*Hits, Single-Game – 5, Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point vs. Bucknell (5.22.23)
*RBIs, Single-Game – 6, Kevin Dubrule, Army West Point vs. Bucknell (5.22.23)
*Doubles, Tournament – 4, Addison Ainsworth, Army West Point (vs. Lafayette and Bucknell)
*Doubles, Tournament – 4, Sean Keys, Bucknell (vs. Navy and Army West Point)
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.