Feb. 20, 2010

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DURHAM, N.C. - Navy starting pitcher Wes Olson (Jr./Indianapolis, Ind.) fired seven innings of shutout baseball to lead the Midshipmen to a 7-2 victory over Iona in the second day of the Eagle Baseball Classic on Saturday afternoon at Durham Athletic Park. The Midshipmen improved to 2-0 on the young season, while the Gaels fell to 1-1.

Olson limited Iona to a mere three hits during his 83-pitch outing with three walks and two strikeouts to earn the win. The Navy right-hander induced two double plays and allowed only one hit and one walk over his final-four stanzas.

"Wes was right on with a very low pitch count over seven innings in his first game of the year," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He did a real nice job of commanding the zone throughout the game. We were able to give him a lead and he didn't make any mistakes, with the help of some solid defense behind him. It was a good combination of pitching and defense."

Navy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second with some two-out hitting. Steven Soares (Sr./Coral Springs, Fla.) doubled to right-center with two down and scored on a Mike Hoosier (Sr./Pomona, N.Y.) run-scoring single to center.

Olson got into a jam in the third, as a leadoff double and a walk put runners on first and second with nobody out. On a sacrifice bunt attempt by Eric Capowski, the ball went in front of the plate and Soares was able to gun down the lead runner at third base. The next batter, Nick Rossetti, launched a deep fly ball to right-center that Michael Speciale (Sr./Pearland, Texas) was able to make track down with a diving catch on the warning track. After another walk loaded the bases, Olson was able to strike out Chris Burke to end the threat.

The Midshipmen used that momentum in the bottom half of the third to score three runs. With the bases loaded and one out, Speciale lined a two-run single to left and Soares provided a two-out, two-run single to center to make the score 4-0.

Navy tacked on three more runs for insurance in the sixth. Alex Azor (So./Miami, Fla.) was hit for the second time in the game, this occasion with the bases loaded, to force in a run. After a fielding error brought home another, Kendall Bolt (Sr./Stockton, Calif.) drew a bases-loaded walk for the third inning of the frame.

"We were able to get out to an early lead again today with a couple of big two-out hits," said Kostacopoulos. "We did well executing our offense in the first half of the game, but did not do as well extending the lead later on. We had opportunities but did not convert today and need to be better at that."

Leadoff hitter Mike Guadagnini (Jr./Virginia Beach, Va.), Soares and Hoosier each had two base knocks to lead Navy's 10-hit attack. Hoosier also walked in his other plate appearance, while Azor reached base safely three times via a hit and two hit by pitches.

The Midshipmen will conclude the Eagle Baseball Classic this Sunday when they take on host North Carolina Central at 3 p.m. at Durham Athletic Park. Live stats will be available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)

DIAMOND NOTES:
- This is the second time during head coach Paul Kostacopoulos's tenure that the Mids have started the year 2-0 ... Navy also went 2-0 to start the 2008 season before advancing to the Patriot League Championship series that year ... the last time Navy went 3-0 to start a year was 1981, when the Mids that year rattled of eight-straight victories to begin the slate.
- Navy is now 8-0 all-time against Iona ... the Midshipmen and the Gaels will meet again this season in Annapolis on March 15 for a doubleheader.
- Kostacopoulos has directed the Midshipmen to a 22-8-2 record in the month of February since taking over the reigns in 2006.
- Navy starting pitcher Wes Olson's 7.0-inning outing marked the fourth time he's finished seven innings in his career ... Saturday's performance was the first among those efforts that he did not allow a run.
- Johnny Schoberl made his collegiate debut on the mound on Saturday ... the right-hander did not allow a walk and struck out two in 2.0 innings of work.
- Navy's pitching staff has allowed a total of only nine hits on the year ... the opposition is hitting .134 (9-for-67) with only eight walks and 17 strikeouts.
- Leadoff hitter Mike Guadagnini extended his hitting streak to 17 games, dating back to last spring ... during this span, he's hitting .447 (34-for-76) with 26 runs scored.