3/2/2005 - Baseball
Baseball Battles Devil Rays Tough in 5-2 Exhibition Loss
J.P. Temperilli had an RBI single for the game's first run Wednesday. |
St. Petersburg, Fla. - The Navy baseball team gave the Tampa Bay Devil Rays all they could handle in dropping a tough 5-2 decision in an exhibition (seven innings) against the major league ballclub at Progress Energy Park Wednesday.
Navy (3-3-1) became the first team to score against the Devil Rays in their last three contests versus colleges. Tampa Bay, who improved to 7-0 all-time versus colleges, had shutout the University of Tampa (2002) and Eckerd College (2003) by identical 11-0 scores in their previous two meetings with NCAA programs.
"It was a fantastic day, a once in a lifetime experience for our guys who have grown up and loved the game of baseball," said Navy head coach Steve Whitmyer. "I was very pleased with our performance. I thought our guys had a terrific approach throughout the day. We wanted to show the Tampa Bay organization that we play the game the right way and we respect the game."
"(Navy) did a good job," Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "They were concerned about their pitchers, but they threw strikes. They did a nice job. It was a nice crowd and they were rooting for the Naval Academy."
The official attendance was listed at 1,716 with a strong majority pulling for the Midshipmen.
Navy proved it would be a tough out for the Devil Rays in the first inning as juniors Jonathan-Matthew Johnston (Hamilton Township, N.J.) and Jared Munde (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) each reached base on singles. Johnston, who was named the Patriot League Player of the Week Tuesday, would add to his memorable day in the fourth inning with a triple to the corner in right field.
Senior pitcher Tom Van Dam (Haworth, N.J.) got the start on the mound and allowed just one hit in pitching a scoreless first inning.
The Midshipmen pushed a run across in the second inning off starter Doug Waechter to take a 1-0 lead. Waechter, who is in the running to get the opening-day nod as Tampa's starter, gave up a leadoff single to sophomore D.J. Faldowski (Washington, Pa.). Faldowski moved up 90 feet a batter later as senior Doug Silverman (Foster City, Calif.) followed with a walk. Sophomore J.P. Temperilli (Houston, Texas) stepped to the plate two batters later and delivered an RBI single to left field to bring home Faldowski from second.
Tampa Bay answered with four runs in the home half of the frame off Navy reliever Jeff Lange (Springfield, Va.), as Travis Lee, Jorge Cantu, Carl Crawford and Julio Lugo all delivered RBI singles.
The Mids got a run back in the third to make it 4-2 after the first-three hitters reached base safely against reliever Angel Garcia. Senior Matt Lukevics (Tampa, Fla.) led off with a walk, while Munde (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) and freshman Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) followed with consecutive singles. Faldowski drew a walk to force in Lukevics for the run. However, Garcia got out of the jam by striking out Silverman and inducing Ryan McGinn (Arvada, Colo.) to hit into a double play to end the threat.
Tampa Bay tacked on a run in the fifth on Damon Hollins RBI single, scoring Luis Ordaz on the play.
Other notable performances on the day included sophomore pitcher Burgess Nichols (Boston, Mass.), who pitched a scoreless third inning, and Munde, who went 2-for-3 at the plate. Junior pitcher Joe Koessler (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore hurler Rob Molinaro (Middletown, N.J.) tossed a scoreless inning each. Navy's leadoff hitter reached base safely in five of the seven innings.
The Navy pitching staff was solid all day as the Mids did not allow a walk. "The pressure that was on our pitchers to perform was great and they came through," said Whitmyer. "That was a great boost of confidence for us."
Navy will be back in action Saturday with a doubleheader at VMI, beginning at noon. The Midshipmen are riding a two-game winning streak with wins over Air Force and Indiana last weekend at the Service Academies Classic.
NAVY STARTING LINEUP
No....Name...Pos. (#)
1...Jonathan-Matthew Johnston...C (2)
2...Matt Lukevics...2B (4)
3...Jared Munde...CF (8)
4...Mitch Harris...1B (3)
5...D.J. Faldowski...DH
6...Doug Silverman...3B (5)
7...Ryan McGinn...LF (7)
8...J.P. Temperilli...RF (9)
9...Thomas Hamilton...SS (6)
32...Tom Van Dam...P (1)
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS STARTING LINEUP
No....Name...Pos. (#)
1...Carl Crawford...CF (8)
2...Julio Lugo...SS (6)
3...Danny Bautista...RF (9)
4...Aubrey Huff..LF (7)
5...Josh Phelps...DH
6...Travis Lee...1B (4)
7...Alex Gonzalez...3B (5)
8...Jorge Cantu...2B (4)
9...Toby Hall...C (2)
40...Doug Waechter...P (1)
DEVIL RAYS VS. COLLEGES
**Feb. 26, 1998: Tampa Bay 6, Florida State 3
**March 3, 1999: Tampa Bay 5, Miami 0
**March 1, 2000: Tampa Bay 13, South Florida 0
**March 1, 2001: Tampa Bay 17, Notre Dame 4
**March 1, 2002: Tampa Bay 11, Tampa 0
**Feb. 28, 2003: Tampa Bay 11, Eckerd College 0
**March 2, 2005: Tampa Bay 5, Navy 2
