April 13, 2009
Game One Box Score (Army 11, Navy 5)
Game Two Box Score (Navy 12, Army 10)
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Navy baseball team overcame a four-run deficit in game two and held on to split Monday's doubleheader against Army at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field. The Midshipmen won the nightcap, 12-10, prior to an 11-5 setback in the opener.
Navy saw its mark go to 13-20-1 overall and 6-6 in the Patriot League, while Army had its record go to 16-15 on the year and a 6-6 ledger in league play. The Mids and the Black Knights are now in a three-way tie with Holy Cross for third place in the league standings, only one game behind Bucknell and Lafayette.
"Coming back from a four-run deficit in game two proved to be a critical game in the way the Patriot League standings checked out at the end of the day," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "It was key that we were able to win a game that is important to our Patriot League season."
In the nightcap, Navy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, as Kendall Bolt (Jr./Stockton, Calif.) singled home Matthew Curley (Jr./Boston, Mass.), who doubled off the fence in left-center. Army immediately came back with a run in the first, two in the second and two in the third to take a 5-1 lead.
The Midshipmen would not be held quiet, as they would tie the game in the fourth. Nick Driscoll (So./Riverview, Fla.) lifted a bases loaded sacrifice fly to center before Mike Guadagnini (So./Virginia Beach, Va.) unloaded for his second round-tripper in as many days, this time a three-run shot to make the score 5-5.
Meanwhile, Navy reliever Luke Roberts (So./Midland, N.C.) held the Black Knights off the board in the fourth and the fifth, as Navy took a lead it would not relinquish.
Navy took the lead in the sixth, as Bolt delivered a two-run single and would later score on a Steven Soares (Jr./Coral Springs, Fla.) single through the left side. Army would plate an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame, but Roberts limited the damage with a strikeout and a flyout with runners in scoring position to end the frame.
One frame later, the Midshipmen extended their lead to six, 12-6, with a four-run seventh. With the bases loaded, Bolt ripped a double down the right-field line to plate a pair of runners. The next batter, Michael Speciale (Jr./Pearland, Texas), singled over the drawn-in infield to bring in two more runs.
The Black Knights would not go without a fight, as they chipped away at Navy's lead. Army scored twice in the seventh, once in the eighth and again in the ninth to pull within two, 12-10.
With runners on the corners, two out and Joey Henshaw - a .426 hitter on the year - stepping to the plate, Navy reliever JD Melton (Jr./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) induced a comebacker that he took himself over to first to end the game and earn the save.
Roberts earned his first-career win, as he fanned five over 4.1 innings with no walks allowed. Fellow reliever Chris Murray (Jr./Navarre, Fla.) came up several key outs between the seventh and ninth innings before Melton closed the door with two outs. Starter TJ Kerins (Fr./Marietta, Ga.) was touched for five runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
"Luke (Roberts) was huge once again for us," said Kostacopoulos. "He was able to come into a 5-1 deficit with runners on base, get out of the jam and settled the game down. He did a superior job and left the game with a four-run lead.
"You have to give a lot of credit to Army. They played hard and the lineup comes at you. Chris (Murray) was able to get some strikeouts in big spots and JD (Melton) got the job done in the ninth."
Bolt reached base all six plate appearance in game two, as he went 4-for-4 with two hit by pitches, a double, two runs scored and five RBIs. Jonathan Berkowitz (Jr./Parkland, Fla.) and Mike Hoosier (Jr./Pomona, N.Y.) each had multi-hit performances, as Berkowitz finished 3-for-5 with a run and a walk, while Hoosier went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Guadagnini also scored three times, highlighted by his three-run shot and walked twice.
The Midshipmen offense collected 15 hits in the nightcap, to go along with six walks and four hit batsmen. Every Navy batter recorded a hit in game two.
"Kendall (Bolt) was certainly the offensive player of the day in game two," stated Kostacopoulos. "He was able to stay off the pitches he couldn't hit and drove the pitches that he could. He had a great day when we really needed it."
In the opener, Navy jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Guadagnini led off with a single and would eventually score on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Berkowitz delivered a two-run single to right.
Army responded with a run in the first and two in the second to tie the game at three, but Navy immediately answered back with a pair of runs to re-take the lead. Bolt led off the frame with a solo blast over the centerfield fence and Hoosier smacked a RBI-single to right with two outs to make the score 5-3.
However, the Black Knights held the Midshipmen off the board for the remaining four innings and the hosts scored eight unanswered runs - two in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the sixth - to take the lead and pull away.
Navy starter Zach Sipe (Fr./Huffman, Texas) fell to 2-4 on the year, as he allowed seven runs on six hits with six walks and three strikeouts over 4.1 innings. Sipe threw 87 pitches, 46 of which were strikes.
"The starting pitching wasn't really there for us the entire weekend," said Kostacopoulos. "We took a 3-0 lead and then gave it right back to them. Whenever you walk six and hit a batter, that is not a good outing by any stretch."
The Midshipmen were outhit in the opener, 12-6. Speciale went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Bolt and Jeff Bland (So./Basking Ridge, N.J.) both reached base twice, as each recorded a base knock and walked once.
The Midshipmen will close out their season-long 10-game road swing with a non-league affair at Towson (16-16) tomorrow at 3 p.m.
DIAMOND NOTES
- Navy is now 101-91 all-time against Army, including a 41-49 mark in West Point ... the Midshipmen have split the last-four nine-inning games at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field.
- Navy's 12 runs scored against Army were the most against the Black Knights since a 12-11 win in Annapolis during the 2002 season ... the 12 runs were the most scored against Army in West Point since a 23-3 victory during the 1995 campaign.
- Kendall Bolt tied his career highs in hits (four) and RBIs (five) during Monday's nightcap ... Bolt had a five-RBI performance earlier this year against Iona on March 8 ... the Navy junior is the only hitter to have recorded three four-hit games this spring.
- Jonathan Berkowitz extended his hitting streak to seven games on Monday ... during this stretch, Berkowitz is batting .417 (10-for-24) with two doubles and three RBIs.
- The Midshipmen hit their 23rd and 24th home runs of the season on Monday afternoon ... the 2009 Mids moved into a tie for fifth on the team single-season home run list with the 1983 squad.
- Michael Speciale's stolen base in the sixth inning of game one was the 27th of his career ... that moved him into a tie for 14th place on the career stolen bases list with Andy Loferski (1981-83).
- In his first-two appearances and starts during Patriot League play this year, Mike Hoosier went 3-for-7 on Monday with two runs scored and a RBI.
- The Midshipmen have scored in the first inning in four of their last-five games ... in those contests, the Mids have plated a total of 12 runs.
- Luke Roberts earned his first-career win on Monday, as he went a career-long 4.1 innings and fanned a career-high five batters without a walk ... he has allowed just one walk in 18.1 innings on the hill this spring.
- JD Melton earned his first save of 2009 by coming in and getting the final out of the game ... it was his first save since April 6, 2008, at Lehigh.
- Monday's series finale lasted a total of three hours and 50 minutes ... over the four-game series, the two teams battled on the diamond for a total of 11 hours and 45 minutes.
