April 20, 2010

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team plated 10 unanswered runs between the sixth and eighth innings to defeat Towson, 11-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Midshipmen improved to 24-16 on the year, while the Tigers fell to 11-27.

"Overall, I thought we played well today," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "There was offense, we got some clutch pitching that got us out of some jams and we were pretty solid in the field."

Trailing 3-1 going into the sixth, Navy took advantage of two Towson errors to grab a lead it would not relinquish. With the bases loaded and one out, second baseman Chris Wychock dropped a popup that allowed a run to score before Nick Driscoll (Jr./Riverview, Fla.) tied the game with a RBI-single through the left side. The Mids would take the lead on a Alex Azor (So./Miami, Fla.) sacrifice fly to center.

The Midshipmen tacked on two in the seventh, as Mike Guadagnini (Jr./Virginia Beach, Va.) greeted reliever Sean Bertrand with a two-run double down the left-field line that made the score 6-3.

Towson would make things interesting in the eighth, as it drew back-to-back walks to lead off the frame. However, Navy reliever Drew Carlson (Sr./Boca Raton, Fla.) came in and induced a double play and a groundout to end the threat en route to his team-best fourth save of the year.

"That was a big spot in the game," said Kostacopoulos. "After we took the lead and gave up two walks to start the inning, Drew got us out of the jam. We were then able to put up a big inning offensively."

Navy used that momentum to rattle off six-straight hits after the first-two batters were retired in the eighth to plate five runs. Michael Speciale (Sr./Pearland, Texas) and Kendall Bolt (Sr./Stockton, Calif.) both had RBI-singles to center, before Guadagnini laced a two-run single to right and would score on a Jeff Bland (Jr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) double down the left-field line.

Guadganini went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base, while Bolt finished 3-for-5 with a double, three runs, a RBI and a stolen base.

"We got a lot of production out of both Mike (Guadagnini) and Kendall (Bolt) today," stated Kostacopoulos. "That's a big difference in the game when both of those guys are producing."

Driscoll, Azor and Speciale each collected a pair of base knocks to contribute to Navy's 15-hit attack, six of which went for extra bases. The Midshipmen were also active on the base paths, as they stole six bases in as many tries on the afternoon.

Navy starter Alec Thomas (Sr./Kernersville, N.C.) allowed three runs on seven hits over four innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Southpaw reliever Chris Murray (Sr./Navarre, Fla.) held the Tigers off the board for two innings of work to pick up the win and improve his record to 3-1 on the year.

The Midshipmen will return to action this Saturday and Sunday with a four-game Patriot League set against Holy Cross. First pitch for both days' doubleheaders is slated for 12 noon and admission is free. The first-150 fans in attendance on Saturday will receive a free Navy koozie and there will be a `Meet the Mids' autograph session between games. In addition, live video and live stats will be available for all-four games on www.NavySports.com(.)

DIAMOND NOTES:
- Navy's senior class picked up its 111th career win on Tuesday to tie the Class of 2008 for the winningest class in the program's 115-year history ... the Midshipmen won 119 games between 2006 and 2009, but there were no seniors on last year's team.
- The Midshipmen are now 24-8-1 all-time against Towson ... the Mids have won each of the last-three meetings, scoring 28 combined runs in the process.
- Navy stole six bases on Tuesday, which were two shy of matching the season high it had against Iona on March 15 ... the Midshipmen have now stolen 56 bases on the year, which is tied for ninth most in school history with the 1999 squad.
- Navy's six doubles on Tuesday were two away from its season high of eight two-baggers against Central Connecticut State on March 6.
- With the save on Tuesday, Navy has totaled 11 saves as a team this spring, which is tied for the third-highest mark in school history with the 2007 Mids.
- Drew Carlson earned his fourth save of the year on Tuesday, which moves him into a tie for fifth place on the all-time single-season list at Navy with Burgess Nichols (2004), Bryan Koehler (2002) and Todd Bizba (1985).
- Navy's 10 unanswered runs on Tuesday were the most it had scored 10 unanswered runs in a 10-4 win over Princeton on March 20.
- The Midshipmen have committed only three errors during their last-seven games ... within that span, the Mids own a .988 fielding percentage and have turned five double plays.