4/20/2004 - Baseball
Retrievers Sink Mids In Final At-Bat
Baltimore, Md. - The Navy baseball team had the tables turned on itself Tuesday night when UMBC scored three times in its final at-bat to rally for a 10-9 victory in the first game under the lights at The Baseball Factory Field. In the Mids home opener on March 2, Navy (12-32) scored twice in its final at-bat to prevail, 5-4.
"This is a very disappointing loss," said Navy coach Steve Whitmyer. "We just couldn't get an out in the final inning to get the win."
Trailing 9-7, the Retrievers (7-23) scored three runs on four straight hits to rally for the victory. After Mike Orlando doubled off Tom Van Dam (So., Haworth, N.J.) to start the inning, Joe Koessler (So., Knoxville, Tenn.) entered and allowed three straight hits. Orlando moved to third on a single by Kyle Wildasin before scoring on a single by Zach Clark. Jon Gossard then roped a liner past a diving Craig Candeto (Sr., Orange City, Fla.) in center field for a bases-clearing triple to win the game.
Navy appeared to have the game in hand when it added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Candeto reached on a two-base error, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Eric Butkiewicz. Chris Ashinhurst (Sr., Stafford, Va.) tried to get in position for a second run when he attempted to stretch a double into a triple but was gunned down by Dan Carpenter at third to end the inning.
The Mids, who scored a single run in their first at-bat, jumped out to an early, 7-1, lead when they scored six runs in the top of the second to break a 1-1 tie. Matt Lukevics (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) got the six-run inning started with a double, and, after Jared Munde (So., Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Doug Silverman (Jr., Foster City, Calif.). Lukevics scored when Mike Garcia (Fr., Kailua, Hawai'i) reached on an error by Wildasin. Candeto kept the inning going with a single to center to drive in Munde. Garcia also came around to score on the play on a throwing error by Carpenter. Farmer became the second batter hit by Blake Phipps, who lasted two innings, to bring J.P. Temperilli (Houston, Texas) to the plate. After a passed ball by Phipps allowed Candeto to cross home, Temperilli deposited his team-leading fifth home run of the season over the fence in left.
After a two-run double by Clark in the bottom of the third cut the Mids lead to four, Candeto moved into third in career home runs with a solo shot to center off Butkiewicz. The home run was the 15th of the senior's career pushing him past Luke Braham who hit 14 from 1997-2000.
Butkiewicz shut down the Navy offense for the next four innings as he struck out 10 batters en route to his second win of the season.
"Butkiewicz did a great job to shut us down offensively when it looked like we were in control," said Whitmyer.
The Retrievers pulled to within one, 8-7, by scoring three times with two outs in the fifth off Navy starter Jeff Lange (Jr., Springfield, Va.) and once in the sixth. Gossard drove in two with a bases-loaded single. Chris Cerullo drove in Clark with a single to left. An RBI-single by Orlando in the bottom of the sixth off Van Dam scored Carpenter, who hit a one-out triple.
Candeto finished the game 3-for-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs. Temperilli was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Orlando finished 5-for-5 for UMBC, while Clark and Gossard each drove in four.
The Mids return home for a four-game Patriot League series this Saturday and Sunday with Army. On Saturday, Navy will honor the 1979 baseball team that went 22-9, won the EIBL title, and played host to the NCAA Northeast Regional, while this year's senior class will be honored on Sunday. Action begins each day at noon.
