Box Score ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy baseball team (15-19, 6-10 Patriot League) posted its fourth-straight double-digit run total, scoring 12 runs on 10 hits against Lehigh (17-16, 5-7 Patriot League) in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. However, the Mountain Hawks tallied an offensive outburst of their own in the series opener, posting 13 runs on 16 hits to secure a 13-12 victory over the Midshipmen.
 
The Mids jumped out to a 5-3 lead in game two of the twin bill but saw the contest be suspended to Sunday with one out in the top of the sixth inning due to lighting. The game is set to resume at 1 p.m. on Sunday, followed by the third and final game of the three-game set. The final four innings of Saturday's suspended game will be streamed on ESPN+, while the series finale will not be televised. Free, live statistics of both contests will be available via NavySports.com. 
 
"We fight, we fought today and that's all you could really ask of our guys," said head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "The lessons we are learning as this season goes on are valuable. Baseball is a tough sport, you have to stay locked in. It's a mentally tough game and it can be draining at times. That's something that we can take away with us. Obviously, we lost the ballgame, but you can take some of those things, realizing how hard it is to win, and do those things. We battled hard and made it a game, but it just didn't work out for us."  
 
Colin Smith (Jr., Wilmington, Del.) continued his torrid pace at the plate in game one, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs, along with pitching three innings of relief in which he allowed four runs on four hits. The junior has also tallied two hits and scored twice in his first two at-bats of game two.
 
"He (Colin Smith) has been outstanding for us over the last couple of weeks," said Kostacopoulos of the standout junior. "This week we were challenged on the mound, but he came in again today with guys on first and second only to escape with no runs. Just shows a lot about him. Colin is a guy that didn't play much his freshman year, nobody really did, and only got about 80 at-bats last year. He's really starting to come on and it's good to see."
 
The trio of Eduardo Diaz (So., Miami, Fla.), Logan Keller (So., Longwood, Fla.) and Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) each tallied a multi-hit effort in the series opener against Lehigh, along with driving in one run apiece. Diaz led the way amongst the three standouts in game one, recording a double and three runs scored, along with being 2-for-3 with a run scored through three plate appearances in game two.
 
Alex Smith leads the charge for the Mids at the plate in game two, tallying two hits in his first three at-bats of the contest along with recording two RBIs and scoring a run.
 
On the mound, Navy used five pitchers in game one, highlighted by a three-inning performance from Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.). The sophomore allowed just one run on three hits over his three frames of work but ultimately took the loss after allowing a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth. Nate Mitchell (Jr., Parker, Colo.) made his eighth start of the season for the Midshipmen in the series opener, allowing six runs, five being earned, on eight hits over two innings of work.
 
After a rocky first inning, Navy's game two starter Liam Golden (Fr., Springfield, Va.) finished his outing with just three runs allowed on seven hits over 5.1 innings. The newcomer also walked just two batters while striking out a pair prior to the suspension of the contest.
 
"He (Liam Golden) gave up three runs in the first three hitters but shuts them (Lehigh) down up to the suspension. That shows me something, those are things that are valuable as you move through the season. You have to learn that you've got to hang in there and compete. We are starting to learn how to do some of those things and that's a good takeaway for Liam."
 
Game One: Lehigh 13, Navy 12 (Nine Innings)
Trailing by five runs entering the bottom of the sixth, the Midshipmen posted five runs on two hits in a rally that ultimately forced extra innings. However, the Navy offense would be held at bay through the next three frames, being limited to just one hit by Lehigh reliever Casey Rother.
 
Following the effort by Rother on the mound, the Mountain Hawks broke through offensively in the top half of the ninth with a solo home run off the bat of Adam Retzbach. The long ball gave Lehigh a one-run lead it wouldn't relinquish in a 13-12 decision over the Midshipmen in Saturday's series opener.
 
The Mountain Hawks opened the scoring in game one, as Retzbach drove in Jake Whitlinger with two outs in the first to take a 1-0 lead. However, in the home half of the frame, Navy responded with a five-run rally to take a four-run advantage over Lehigh at 5-1. The frame included Nick Burch (Jr., Hollywood, Md.) and Zach Stevens (Sr., Lexington, Mass.) being hit by back-to-back pitches that brought home runs, along with an RBI bunt single by Diaz.
 
The advantage would be short-lived for the Midshipmen, as Lehigh responded with five runs on six hits over the next two innings to take back the lead at 6-5. The rally forced Navy to make a pitching change with nobody out in the third, as Mitchell gave way to Colin Smith. The junior would work out of the third without further damage, despite inheriting a runner on second and third jam with no outs.  
 
Lehigh continued to make additions to its lead over the next three innings, highlighted by a four-run sixth to take its largest lead of the day at 12-7 over the Mids. However, in the bottom of the frame, the Navy offense came back to life with the aforementioned five-run response. Colin Smith provided the decisive blow in the inning with a bases-clearing, three-run double that tied the game at 12-12.
 
Following its game-tying rally in the sixth, the Navy offense went quiet over the next three innings with the effort of Rother (1-0) on the mound being the key factor. The senior nine of the 10 batters he faced over his three innings of work, leading to the go-ahead home run in the ninth by Retzbach against Jorgenson (3-1) and a 13-12 decision in favor of the Mountain Hawks.

Shortstop Tyler Young led the way for the Lehigh offense in game one, going 3-for-5 with a run scored, two doubles and four RBI. In addition to his contributions on the mound, Rother added a 4-for-6 showing at the plate with a double, a home run and two RBIs.
 
Game Two: Navy 5, Lehigh 3 (Suspended – Top Sixth)
After Lehigh jumped out an early 3-0 lead against Golden in the top of the first, the Midshipmen responded with four runs in the third and another in the fourth to take a 5-3 over the Mountain Hawks. The two-run advantage held until the suspension of the contest with one out in the top of the sixth inning.
 
A Retzbach three-run home run in the first has proven to be the only major blow against Golden, who allowed just three hits over his next four full innings of work. The Navy offense was held quite until the fourth-inning rally, which was highlighted by four-straight hits from the quartet of Diaz, Alex Smith, Colin Smith and Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.)
 
Kiel Brenczewski (Jr., Fishers, Ind.) also posted a sacrifice fly in the frame, followed by an RBI single from Burch that capped off the four-run frame for the Mids in support of Golden.
 
Lehigh starting pitcher Matt Stamford allowed five runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings of work, prior to giving way to Val Taddei. Taddei pitched the final 1.1 innings prior to the suspension, allowing just one hit while striking out two batters.
 
UP NEXT
The Midshipmen and Mountain Hawks are slated to return to action for the resumption of the suspended contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The third and final game of the series is scheduled to begin approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of the middle game of the three-game set.