ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In its final regular-season Patriot League contest of the season, the Navy baseball team (19-25, 10-15 Patriot League) dropped a 13-7 decision to Lafayette (15-31, 10-11 Patriot League) Sunday at Max Bishop Stadium. After falling behind by five runs to the Leopards through the first two and a half innings of play, the Midshipmen rallied with six runs over the next three innings to tie the contest at 6-6. However, Lafayette used a seven-run sixth inning to take a seven-run lead it wouldn't relinquish in the series finale of the three-game set.  
 
"I think we battled back to get it to 6-6, but then they jumped us and took the wind out of our sails," said head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "That has been a storyline for a while now, at some points we have had trouble stopping people from scoring and that was evident today."  
 
Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) led the way for the Navy offense, going 2-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and two RBIs. Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.) added a 2-for-5 showing of his own on Sunday, which included recording a double, a run scored and driving in two runs. Hudson Lehnertz (So., Santa Ana, Calif.) rounded out the top-offensive performers for the Mids against the Leopards by going 1-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, two walks and two RBIs.
 
"I think both Christian (Policelli) and Alex (Smith) have done a great job for us," said Kostacopoulos on the Mids' offensive leaders. "I also liked the tenacity of Nick Burch, he's a guy that came into the season without much experience and he battles to get himself in there and competes. He really has stepped up and become a valuable player for us. I thought he did a good job too."
 
Colin Smith (Jr., Wilmington, Del.) highlighted the Midshipmen effort on the mound, totaling three shutout innings of relief without allowing a hit. Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.) took the loss after allowing five runs, four being earned, on five hits over three innings of work. Matthew Shirah (So., Blue Ridge, Ga.) made his 11th start of the season on Sunday, allowing five runs on six hits over 2.1 innings.
 
"Colin Smith is just a really good ballplayer," remarked Kostacopoulos on the junior's effort on the mound. "He has worked on his swing, his defense and has helped us enormously on the mound. As far as coming in and extending games for us, he has been a really good player for us and I look forward to having him back."
 
Lafayette got off to a fast start on offense, totaling two runs on two hits in the first against Shirah which was highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Dylan Minghini. With a two-run advantage in hand, the Leopards continued to add to their lead in the third, totaling an additional three runs on three hits to take a 5-0 lead over the Mids.
 
However, in the home half of the third, the Midshipmen broke through for their first runs of the day as Policelli laced a double into the left-center field gap that scored Lehnertz and Nick Burch (Jr., Hollywood, Md.). The rally continued for Navy in the bottom of the fourth, as Lehnertz brought home a pair of runs on a double down the right-field line that reduced the Lafayette lead to just one run at 5-4.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Leopards stole back a run to bring their advantage to 6-4 on a Minghini sacrifice fly against Jorgenson (3-2), who had retired four-straight batters entering the inning. The sophomore was able to work out of the frame without further damage, leading to Alex Smith sending a long fly over the left-field wall in the bottom of the inning that tied the game at 6-6.
 
Despite the efforts of the Midshipmen offense to tie the contest in the fifth, Lafayette struck back with a seven-run, six-hit barrage in the top of the sixth. The rally gave Lafayette its largest lead of the day at seven runs, prior to Navy taking advantage of a throwing error in the bottom of the frame to bring its deficit to six runs at 13-7.
 
Following a one-hour and 49-minute rain delay, the contest resumed with Colin Smith taking the mound for the top of the seventh inning. The junior right-hander turned in one of his best outings of the season, holding the Leopards hitless over three innings of work.
 
The Midshipmen offense would be held at bay over the final three innings by the pairing of Frank Craska and Jacob Ciccone, who limited Navy to just three hits over that span. Despite being limited to three hits the Mids were not without opportunity over the final three frames, as they stranded a combined six runners on base to close out the contest.
 
Nolan Morr (2-5) earned the win for Lafayette after allowing two runs on two hits over 1.1 innings of relief. Pete Ciuffreda paced the Leopards on offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs scored, while Minghini posted a 1-for-2 showing with a home run, two walks, three runs scored and three RBIs.
 
UP NEXT
Navy is slated to begin a four-game week on Wednesday with a road tilt against Georgetown. First pitch from Washington, D.C. is scheduled for 6 p.m. With their Patriot League slate completed, the Midshipmen will now await the results of next week's remaining league contests that will determine their postseason fate.