3/26/2005 - Baseball
Baseball Drops Doubleheader to Buffalo

Files associated with this release:
Buffalo-Navy Boxscore (Game One)
Buffalo-Navy Boxscore (Game Two)

Annapolis, Md. - The Navy baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Buffalo Saturday at Max Bishop Stadium. The Bulls handed the Mids a 7-2 loss in the first game and then shutout Navy 2-0 in the second contest.

Buffalo improved to 7-9, while Navy dropped its 10th and 11th straight to fall to 3-14-1 on the season. Both games of the doubleheader were seven-inning contests.

Navy struggled in the opening game by committing eight errors and allowing Buffalo to jump out to an early lead with three-first inning runs. The Bulls also pushed across three runs in the seventh inning to open up a slim 4-2 edge into a five-run advantage. Andrew Wengert went 2-for-4 with a run batted in and a run scored to lead Buffalo offensively. Adam Ruszkowski earned the win by going six innings and allowing two runs on nine hits.

Navy starter Burgess Nichols (Boston, Mass.) (1-3) was saddled with his third straight loss after allowing five runs - three earned - on eight hits in six innings of work. Senior captain Trevor Thompson (Kent, Wash.), who was returning to full-time duty following a three-week layoff with an ankle injury, went 3-for-3 with a run scored while classmate Matt Lukevics (Tampa, Fla.) and freshman Renaldo Hollins (Virginia Beach, Va.) each had a pair of hits.

Freshman hurler Mark McCoy (Parkland, Fla.) turned in a strong outing in the second game for Navy. McCoy made his second-straight strong start by going all seven innings and allowing just two runs and scattering five hits while striking out four.

However, the Mids couldn't give McCoy any offensive help as they were limited to just three hits for the second time in the last three contests.

Buffalo starter Mark Tourangeau earned the win by going seven innings and striking out eight.

Navy and Buffalo will meet in the series finale at Max Bishop Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m.