3/6/2005 - Baseball
Baseball Drops Doubleheader at VMI

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

Lexington, Va. - The Navy baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to VMI Sunday at Patchin Field in Lexington, Va. The Mids fell to the Keydets 4-0 in the first game and could not hold onto a 5-0 lead in the second game and fell 18-5. The doubleheader was played after it was postponed Saturday due to inclement weather.

Navy, which came into the series riding a two-game winning streak, fell to 3-5-1 on the season.

Starting pitcher Daniel Kovalcik (Westwood, Mass.) had a solid outing in the first game of the doubleheader, but four errors by the Mids in the field proved to be too much. Kovalcik went 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one run and scattered four hits. It marked Kovalcik's second-consecutive strong start as he lasted four innings in Navy's 6-5 win over Indiana last Sunday at the Service Academies Classic.

Senior second baseman Matt Lukevics (Tampa, Fla.) stroked a pair of base hits for the Midshipmen in the loss.

In the second game, Navy pushed across three runs in the second inning and two in the third to grab an early 5-0 advantage.

However, VMI scored nine runs over the following three innings to take the lead for good. The Keydets outhit Navy 22-11 in the second game while putting the contest out of reach with nine runs in the home half of the eighth inning.

Lukevics had another strong game at the plate by going 2-for-2, while freshman Renaldo Hollins (Virginia Beach, Va.) drove in a pair of runs. Sophomore J.P. Temperilli (Houston, Texas) smashed an RBI triple as he built off the momentum of his run-scoring base hit versus the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Wednesday.

The Midshipmen will be back in action Tuesday when they play host to their 2005 home opener versus Coppin State at Max Bishop Stadium. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.