April 8, 2008
Box Score
BALTIMORE - Navy second baseman Mike Guadagnini (Fr./Virginia Beach, Va.) smacked two home runs, but it would not be enough as the Midshipmen lost to UMBC, 8-7, on Tuesday night at The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC. The Midshipmen dropped to 20-12 on the year, while the Retrievers improved to 9-16.
Guadagnini became the second first Navy freshman in program history to belt two home runs in the same game, as Terry Cook achieved the feat against Towson on April 30, 1974, in Annapolis. Guadagnini is the second player this season, as Mitch Harris (Sr./Mt. Holly, N.C.) went deep twice against Monmouth on March 14, and ties the school record for most in a game.
"Mike had a really good night - he looked to be right on the ball," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He also made a gutsy play defensively in the eighth, staying back on a hard hit ball that came up on him and had enough presence to throw the runner out at first and save a run.
Navy jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top-half of the first. For the second-straight game, Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) led off the game with a home run to right-center. Following an error and a hit batsman, Jonathan Berkowitz (So./Parkland, Fla.) ripped a RBI-double off the fence in right-center. Back-to-back hit batsmen would force home another run before Berkowitz would score on a groundball double play.
UMBC scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the third to tie the game, before Guadagnini launched a solo shot over the fence in center to give the Mids a 5-4 lead. That cushion would not last for long, as the Retrievers again started with nobody on and two outs to plate the game-tying run.
In the sixth, Nick Driscoll (Fr./Riverview, Fla.) led off with a single before Guadagnini went deep again, this time a towering blast over the right-field fence. UMBC answered back in the bottom half of the frame, scoring three runs to take its first lead of the day, 8-7.
The Midshipmen made a rally attempt in the ninth inning, as Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) and Berkowitz hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up to second and third, UMBC reliever Ryan Morse induced a popout and a flyout to end the game.
Navy reliever Chris Murray (So./Navarre, Fla.) was tagged for his first loss of the year, as he allowed five hits and three runs over two-plus innings of work with two walks and one strikeout. Wes Olson (Fr./Indianapolis, Ind.) started for the Mids and lasted 3.2 innings, as he yielded five runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts. The Midshipmen pitching staff combined to walk seven batters on Tuesday night.
"Tonight's game boiled down to two big no-no's - we walked seven guys and left six runners in scoring position," said Kostacopoulos. "It's been the theme of our team this season to get 10-12 hits, but we need to score more. Tonight, we allowed a starting pitcher to hang around until the sixth inning after he gave up four in the first."
Guadagnini, Speciale, Hamilton and Berkowitz each had two hits to lead the Navy offense. Hamilton's two-hit performance extended his hitting streak to 13 games, a span where he has hit .426 (23-for-54).
The Midshipmen will return to action tomorrow when they host Georgetown in a 4 p.m. contest in Annapolis. Live stats for all of Navy's home games are available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)
