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Navy Falls for First Time in 2010 Season on Saturday
Feb. 27, 2010
SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Navy baseball team suffered its first setback of the year on Saturday, as it dropped a 12-4 decision to Air Force at historic Grayson Stadium. The Midshipmen (5-1) had their seven-game winning streak snapped, which dated back to last season. The Falcons (1-5) won their first game of the year. Air Force jumped out with a run in the first, but Navy answered with a two-run second to grab the lead, as Nick Driscoll (Jr./Riverview, Fla.) delivered a two-run single through the left side. After the Falcons tied the game at two in the third, the Midshipmen again answered, this time with a go-ahead run in the fourth. Josh Moore (So./Mills River, N.C.) laced a RBI-single to right to put the Mids back out in front, 3-2. However, Air Force again tied the game at four in the fourth and took a 5-3 lead with a two-run sixth. Navy had a chance to tie or take the lead in the seventh. With two outs and nobody on, Mike Guadagnini (Jr./Virginia Beach, Va.) singled to right field and moved to second on a Matthew Curley (Sr./Boston, Mass.) bunt single to third. Alex Azor (So./Miami, Fla.) stepped to the plate and worked the count full before striking out looking on an offspeed pitch away. The Falcons used that momentum to strike a key, seven-run blow off the Navy bullpen in the bottom half of the seventh to put the game away. "That at bat (by Azor) was big, but I don't look at one at bat being the deciding factor in this type of game. There were many other plays," said Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "When you get down, it takes away some of the things that you can do offensively." Navy starting pitcher Wes Olson (Jr./Indianapolis, Ind.) fell to 1-1 on the year, as he allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on eight hits over 5.1 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. The Midshipmen bullpen yielded eight runs, five of which were earned, during the final-2.2 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. "Wes battled and competed well today," stated Kostacopoulos. "Air Force did a nice job of making him work hard for his 16 outs. Still, when you leave a game tied at three as a starter, you did a good job. The relievers just needed to do a better job. "I think the most important facet of today's game was our inability to get that key out when we needed it defensively. When we needed the defense to make a play or our pitcher to make a pitch, we just couldn't do it." The Midshipmen totaled 12 hits on Saturday, as Guadagnini, Michael Speciale (Sr./Pearland, Texas) and Kendall Bolt (Sr./Stockton, Calif.) each recorded two hits. Air Force starting pitcher Sean Carley earned the win, as he threw 118 pitches over seven innings during only his second start of the year. The right-hander allowed three runs on nine hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. The Midshipmen will look to win the rubber game of the weekend series with Air Force tomorrow at 12 noon. Live stats will be available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.) DIAMOND NOTES:
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