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April 16, 2009

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. - Navy's six-through-two hitters in the lineup combined to go 14-for-27 with three doubles, seven RBIs and eight runs scored to lead the Midshipmen to a 9-3 win over Towson at Schuerholz Park on Thursday afternoon. The Mids improved to 14-20-1 on the year, while the Tigers dropped to 16-17.

"Whenever you get two hits from your 6-7-8-9 hitters and three hits from your 1-2 guys, that shows you were able to bunch some hits together," said Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "When you are able get 14 hits among those six spots, you are going to score some runs."

Leadoff hitter Mike Guadagnini (So./Virginia Beach, Va.) went 3-for-6 with a double, followed by Matthew Curley's (Jr./Boston, Mass.) 3-for-5 performance with a walk. Jonathan Berkowitz (Jr./Parkland, Fla.), Mike Hoosier (Jr./Pomona, N.Y.), Alex Azor (Fr./Miami, Fla.) and Nick Driscoll (So./Riverview, Fla.) each collected two hits batting sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in the order, respectively. Hoosier scored twice and drew two walks in addition to his two base knocks.

All together, the Midshipmen collected 16 base hits on the afternoon - just three shy of their season-high total.

Navy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, as Curley doubled off the left-field fence and came home to score on a Michael Speciale (Jr./Pearland, Texas) single up the middle.

The Midshipmen took advantage of a Towson fielding error in the third to score four unanswered runs. Berkowitz delivered a RBI single and later in the inning, the Mids had the bases loaded with nobody out. Towson pitcher Spencer Patton got a 1-2-3 double play ball to get one out away from getting out of the inning without further damage. However, Driscoll produced a two-run single up the middle and would score on a Guadagnini double to right to make the score 5-0.

Towson got on the board with a solo shot to left in the fourth, but Navy bounced back with a run in the fifth. The Mids produced three-straight one-out singles before Kendall Bolt (Jr./Stockton, Calif.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center.

The Tigers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth to make the score 6-3, but that would be the closest they would get.

Navy answered back with a three-run sixth to extend the lead to the largest margin of the game, six, at 9-3. Azor smacked a two-run double that one-hopped the fence in left-center and would come home to score on a Curley two-out, RBI-single.

"Alex had the key hit in that inning," stated Kostacopoulos. "It was key to stretch it back out to a six-run lead. That was certainly a big spot in the game."

Towson tried to narrow the deficit in the seventh, but Navy made two stellar defensive plays to get out of the inning unscathed. After a leadoff walk, JD Melton (Jr./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) came on and gave up a walk and a bloop single down to right-field line to load the bases with nobody out. However, Melton got the next batter to popout in foul territory, as Bolt went over and made the catch next to where the fence meets the dugout. After another foul popout, Curley made a diving stop on a ball up the middle and flipped to second from his knees for the final out of the frame.

"That was a key defensive series for us," said Kostacopoulos. "Kendall (Bolt) made a nice grab in foul territory and Matthew (Curley) made a real nice play to get the third out. If a couple of those go through, it's a different ballgame."

Navy called upon six different pitchers on Thursday, none of which went more than 2.1 innings. TJ Kerins (Fr./Marietta, Ga.), the first reliever used, was credited with the win as he threw 1.2 shutout innings with no hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Jeff Murdza (Jr./Hamilton, N.J.) made his second-career start and fanned a batter in one scoreless inning of work. Kyle Millerd (Jr./La Quinta, Calif.), Melton and Luke Roberts (So./Midland, N.C.) tossed 1.0, 1.2 and 1.1 innings, respectively, of shutout baseball out of the bullpen.

"Everybody did their job against a very good hitting team from Towson," stated Kostacopoulos. "Whenever you use six pitchers and you allow only three runs on nine hits, that's a solid performance."

The Midshipmen will return home to begin a four-game series against defending Patriot League champion Bucknell (15-19, 7-5 PL) with a 12 noon doubleheader at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a Navy Baseball water bottle. In addition, there will be a "Meet the Mids" autograph session in between games and the first 150 kids will receive a free t-shirt. Also, members of the "Billy the Kid Club" will enjoy free Chick-Fil-A food and other activities.

DIAMOND NOTES
- Navy improved to 23-8-1 all-time against Towson with Thursday's win ... it was Navy's second-straight win over Towson, as the Mids came back to win last year's meeting in Annapolis, 8-7 ... last Sunday, Towson snapped 25th-ranked George Mason's 23-game home winning streak in Fairfax, Va.
- Mike Guadagnini continued hit hot streak at the plate, going 3-for-6 on Thursday ... over the last-21 games, he's batting .437 (38-for-87) with eight doubles, three triples, three home runs and 11 RBIs ... he has improved his batting average 145 points within that span, from .200 to .345.
- Mike Hoosier has made the most of his opportunity in the starting role over the last-three games ... during this span, he's hitting .500 (5-for-10) with four runs scored, two walks and a hit by pitch ... he also swiped his first-career base during the eighth inning of Thursday's contest.
- Jeff Murdza made his second career-start for the Mids on Thursday ... he allowed only one hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning ... he has not allowed a run over his last-four outings, a span of 7.2 innings.
- The Midshipmen plated a run in the first inning for the third-straight game and the fifth time in the last-six contests ... during the latter stretch, the Mids have totaled 13 first-inning runs.
- Navy's 16 base hits were three shy of matching the season-high set on March 8, when the Mids collected 19 base knocks against Central Connecticut State.
- The Midshipmen completed their 10-game road swing with Thursday's contest ... the Mids produced a 5-5 mark within that span away from Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.