April 5, 2008
Game One Box Score (Navy 5, Lehigh 2)
Game Two Box Score (Navy 4, Lehigh 1)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy pitchers Oliver Drake (So./Gardner, Mass.) and Mark McCoy (Sr./Parkland, Fla.) both delivered quality starts as the Midshipmen swept Lehigh in a baseball doubleheader at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium in Annapolis on Saturday. The Midshipmen took the opener, 5-2, before winning the nightcap, 4-1.
Navy improved to 19-10 overall and 5-1 in Patriot League play, while Lehigh dips to 13-17 on the year and 0-6 in league contests.
"Both Oliver and Mark were outstanding today," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "They were in complete control of their respective games - there were very few threatening innings. They took care of getting the leadoff man and held runners on with the help of Steven (Soares) behind the plate."
Drake fired 6.1 innings of four-hit baseball with one walk and six strikeouts in the opener to improve his record to 4-2 this season. The Navy right-hander did not yield a base hit over 5.1 innings between the first and sixth innings and did not allow a base runner to reach scoring position until the seventh inning.
McCoy was equally as impressive in the nightcap, as he logged eight innings of one-run, seven-hit baseball with two walks and four strikeouts to up his mark to 4-1 in 2008. The Navy senior did not allow a base runner to reach scoring position over his final-three innings of work. He threw 109 pitches on the day, 69 of which were strikes.
Navy relief pitchers Chris Murray (So./Navarre, Fla.) and Drew Carlson (So./Boca Raton, Fla.) each earned a save on Saturday. Murray came on in relief of Drake and fanned both batters he faced to pick up his third save of the year. Carlson retired the Mountain Hawks 1-2-3 in the nightcap with a pair of strikeouts to record his second save of the season.
In addition to the pitching, Navy's defense did not commit an error in either game and threw out 4-of-6 attempted base stealers on Saturday. The Midshipmen have not committed an error in 10 of their 19 home games this season.
"Most of the time, pitching and defense work together," stated Kostacopoulos. "When you pitch well, it's critical that we make the plays defensively. Today, we did both and it really set the tone."
In the opener, Navy broke a scoreless tie with a five-run fifth inning that featured eight base hits and 11 batters coming to the plate. Steven Soares (So./Coral Springs, Fla.) led off the inning with a triple, followed by five Midshipmen - Mike Guadagnini (Fr./Virginia Beach, Va.), Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas), Jonathan Wright (Fr./Arden, N.C.), Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) and Mitch Harris (Sr./Mt. Holly, N.C.) - each producing a RBI single.
Speciale, Wright and Hamilton each had two hits and a RBI in game one, as the Midshipmen out-hit the Mountain Hawks, 11-4.
In the nightcap, Navy grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Hamilton RBI-single up the middle. Lehigh knotted the game at one in the top half of the second and the score would remain tied until the bottom half of the fifth.
Matthew Curley (So./Boston, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, advanced to third on a throwing error on fielder's choice and would score on a double play. Wright delivered a two-out single, moved to second on a Hamilton single, reached third on a fielding error and would cross home plate on a wild pitch. One inning later, Curley would again spark the offense, as he led off with a single and would score on a Hollins double down the left-field line.
Wright and Hamilton each had a pair of hits for the second-straight game in the nightcap, while Curley scored twice for the Midshipmen. Navy held a 9-7 advantage in the hits department in game two.
"Jonathan and Thomas keep putting on solid at bats for us in the heart of the order," said Kostacopoulos. "Every time with both guys, they give you a chance to do something positive. They do not give at bats away."
The Midshipmen will head up to Bethlehem, Pa., tonight to take on Lehigh tomorrow in a 12 noon doubleheader. The twinbill will be aired locally in the Lehigh Valley region on Service Electric 2 Sports, as Jeff Tourial and Steve Lomangino will call the action.
