April 9, 2008
Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy starting pitcher Alec Thomas (So./Kernersville, N.C.) fired six-plus strong innings of baseball, but the Midshipmen offense was held in check as Georgetown handed Navy a 6-0 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Midshipmen fell to 20-13 overall, while the Hoyas upped their mark to 12-17.
"We really did not have any offensive punch today," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "Their pitchers really poured it in the zone and got ahead all day. We did not make many good swings."
Thomas held Georgetown hitless over the first-three innings and to just two base knocks over the opening-six frames. However, Georgetown starter Jimmy Saris was equally impressive, as he fanned 11 Midshipmen in seven scoreless innings.
In the seventh, Thomas allowed a leadoff single and a double to put runners in scoring position. Navy called upon southpaw Kevin Heasley (Sr./Cincinnati, Ohio), who induced a chopper to third that could not be fielded cleanly to load the bases. After Heasley struck out the next batter, he worked ahead 0-2 in the count before Greg Pustizzi flared a single into shallow center field to take the lead. The Hoyas scored four more times in the inning to grab a 5-0 cushion after six and a half innings.
Georgetown scored once more in the ninth, as Tom Elliott hit a one-out double, stole third and scored on a single through the left side.
Thomas was credited for the loss despite allowing just four hits and two runs with only one walk and five strikeouts. The Navy right-hander threw 87 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, in falling to 0-2 in 2008.
"Alec had a quality start for the second-consecutive time today," said Kostacopoulos. "He threw very well and fired a lot of strikes. He was able to get ahead, hit his spots and worked down in the zone. When you put a zero up on the scoreboard for the first-six innings, that's a good start."
Jonathan Wright (Fr./Arden, N.C.) and Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) each went 2-for-4 for the Midshipmen on Wednesday afternoon. Hamilton's two-hit performance extended his hitting streak to 14 games, a span in which he owns a .431 (25-for-58) batting average and eight multi-hit efforts.
Navy was out-hit by Georgetown, 10-7, and struck out 12 times without drawing a walk.
The Midshipmen will remain home this weekend, when they host service academy and Patriot League rival Army in a four-game set, starting on Saturday at 12 noon.
"This is one of the greatest rivalries in the entire country," stated Kostacopoulos. "Going into this series, we really do not need to do a lot of motivating. The guys on both sides are up for the game and already see this as something very special."
Prior to Saturday's doubleheader, there will be an on-field ceremony to dedicate the Joe Duff Indoor Batting Facility, first base dugout, third base dugout and the team meeting room. In between Saturday's twinbill, there will be a "Meet the Mids" autograph session, sponsored by Chick-fil-A. One day later, the first game of the doubleheader will be aired live on CBS College Sports Network, with Pete Medhurst and F.P. Santangelo calling the action.
