March 9, 2008

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Central Connecticut State starter John Tesseyman delivered a complete-game, seven-hit performance to defeat Navy, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids dropped to 4-5 on the year, while the Blue Devils won their second straight to up their mark to 2-5.

Tesseyman held the Navy offense in check for much of the afternoon, as he retired 16-consecutive batters between the third and eighth innings. The Central Connecticut State right-hander fired 121 pitches on the day to finish the day with six strikeouts and only one walk.

"John Tesseyman did a really good job of keeping us off balance throughout the entire game," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He came up with a constant mix of pitches to get ahead in the count."

However, Navy struck first in the opening inning, as Jeff Bland (Fr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) produced a two-out, RBI-single to center. The Midshipmen extended the lead to 2-0 in the third, when Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) belted a run-scoring double to the gap in left-center. Hamilton's hit would be Navy's last base runner until a two-out single in the eighth.

The Blue Devils did most of their damage in the fourth inning, plating four runs and grabbing the lead for good. Sean Parker highlighted the frame with a two-run double and would later score in the inning. Central Connecticut State pushed the lead to 5-2 in the eighth with a two-out, RBI-single from Garrett Walker.

Navy would not go quietly in the ninth, as Mike Guadagnini (Fr./Virginia Beach, Va.) blasted a solo shot over the right field fence to pull within two at 5-3. The round-tripper was the first of his career, the third by Navy over the last-two days and the fourth in six home games this season. Tesseyman would bounce back to retire the final batter of the contest to earn the victory.

Mark McCoy (Sr./Parkland, Fla.) was tagged for the loss, as he yielded five runs on nine hits over 7.2 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. The Navy right-hander threw 132 pitches on the day, 84 of which went for strikes. Southpaw reliever Sam Long (Fr./Newnan, Ga.) made his collegiate debut on Sunday and threw 1.1 perfect innings with a strikeout.

"They bunched together some hits off Mark in the fourth, but he did his job and gave a chance to win," said Kostacopoulos. "Sam Long did a nice job in his first game. He got a big out in the eighth that kept us within striking distance. This was definitely something we can work off of.

"This was a winnable game. We played very well on defense, but the offense was silent - especially from the bottom half of the order."

Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) and Hamilton each had a pair of hits with a double. Leadoff hitter Jonathan Wright (Fr./Arden, N.C.) extended his hitting streak to six games with his double in the third inning.

The Midshipmen will conclude their eight-game homestand on Monday with a 12 noon doubleheader against Iona. Live stats for each of Navy's 33 home games will be available on GameTracker through www.NavySports.com(.)