April 16, 2008
Box Score
BETHESDA, Md. - Navy shortstop Kendall Bolt (So./Stockton, Calif.) belted a two-run home run and finished the day 2-for-5, but it would not be enough as the Midshipmen suffered a 6-2 loss to Georgetown at Shirley Povich Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Midshipmen, who were playing for the fifth-straight day, dropped to 21-18 on the year. The Hoyas upped their mark to 13-21.
Navy was out-hit by Georgetown, 9-7, but drew three walks and was hit by a pitch twice. However, those opportunities did not equate to runs, as the Midshipmen stranded 12 runners on base.
"We haven't been able to pick up guys on base and it's been killing us," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "Looking back, the only two runs we scored today came on a home run, which means we weren't able to come up with a hit with runners in scoring position."
After five scoreless innings of play, Navy struck for two in the sixth. Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) led off the frame with a single before Bolt blasted a two-run shot over the left-field fence.
"Over the last-four games, Kendall has been swinging the bat much better," said Kostacopoulos. "He's making better decisions at the plate and is starting to break out right now."
That cushion would not last for long, as Georgetown answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Sean Lamont led off with a double and Matt Harrigan drew a walk before Erick Fernandez doubled down the left-field line to plate Lamont. Dan Capeless tied the game at two with a single through the right side before the Hoyas took the lead with a fielder's choice.
Georgetown extended its lead to four in the next inning. Tommy Lee drew a leadoff walk before Navy reliever Sam Long (Fr./Newnan, Ga.) struck out the next-two batters. After an intentional walk and another free pass, Fernandez flared a two-run single to right. The Hoyas plated their third run of the inning on a double steal with runners on the corners.
Navy had opportunities to chip into the deficit in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Bolt legged out an infield single with one out, followed by a Jonathan Berkowitz (So./Parkland, Fla.) walk. After a flyout, Georgetown committed an error on a fielder's choice to load the bases, but Renaldo Hollins (Sr./Virginia Beach, Va.) flied out deep to right field to end the inning.
One frame later, Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) doubled down the left-field line and advanced to third on a fielding error by the second baseman. However, Georgetown reliever Daniel Kennedy induced a fielder's choice groundball to short to end the game.
In addition to Bolt, Hollins joined the Navy sophomore in the multi-hit department, finishing the contest 2-for-4.
Navy starter Wes Olson (Fr./Indianapolis, Ind.) was tagged for the loss despite a solid effort on Wednesday. Olson allowed five hits and three runs over five-plus innings with two walks and three strikeouts.
"I thought Wes gave us a good performance," stated Kostacopoulos. "He threw up five zeros on the scoreboard and really gave us an opportunity to win. He just got a little tired in the sixth - the ball stayed up in the zone, he had less break and grip on his offspeed pitches."
Navy will return to action with a four-game set at Bucknell this Saturday and Sunday at Depew Field in Lewisburg, Pa. The Midshipmen own a 6-6 record in Patriot League play, just one game behind Bucknell's 7-5 mark for a share of first-place in the league standings.
