March 16, 2010
Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy outfielder
Michael Speciale (Sr./Pearland, Texas) went 4-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored to help the Midshipmen complete a three-game series sweep of Iona with a 6-2 baseball victory on Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids improved to 13-3 on the year, while the Gaels dropped to 4-6.
Batting in the third spot of the order, Speciale reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances, as he was also hit by pitch and stole his eighth base of the season. He also had protection in front of and behind him in the lineup, as No. 2 hitter Matthew Curley (Sr./Boston, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI, while cleanup hitter Jonathan Berkowitz (Sr./Parkland, Fla.) finished 2-for-5 with a double and a RBI.
"Michael, going back to his last couple of at bats yesterday, has swung the bat well," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He's been able to drive the ball down and in to left and balls up and over the plate to right."
The Mids jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, as Speciale delivered a two-out single and scored on a Berkowitz double to the gap in right-center. After Iona tied it in the top of the second, Navy answered with a run in the third. Dylan Wheeler (Fr./Novato, Calif.) drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on a Curley single through the left side.
The Gaels knotted the game at two in the fourth before the Mids broke it open with a four-run fifth. Curley and Speciale had back-to-back singles to lead off the inning before Berkowitz laid down a bunt to third which second baseman Nick Rossetti wasn't able to cover the bag for the throw that sailed wide down the right-field line to plate Curley. After another error plate the second run of the frame, Mike Hoosier (Sr./Pomona, N.Y.) lined a two-run single to center that put the Mids up by the eventual final, 6-2.
Navy starter Johnny Schoberl (Fr./Milford, N.J.) improved to 2-1 on the year with five innings of five-hit, two-run baseball with one walk and four strikeouts. Reliever Tyler Mapes (Fr./Plano, Texas) was dominant in earning his second save of the season, as he fired four shutout innings with only two hits and no walks allowed, to go along with two strikeouts.
"We were fortunate that Johnny gave us five decent innings and Tyler gave us four very good innings," said Kostacopoulos. "Our energy level was low today. We didn't play with urgency. We need to start picking it up. With Princeton coming into town this weekend, the complexion of our schedule begins to change and we have to meet that challenge."
The Midshipmen will begin a home four-game series against Princeton (1-6) on Friday at 2 p.m. Admission is free for all home Navy baseball games and live stats will be available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)
DIAMOND NOTES:
- Navy's 13-3 start on the year is the program's best since the 1981 Mids also went 13-3 over their first-16 games that season.
- The Midshipmen are 8-2 on their home field this season ... it's the first time since 2000 that Navy has started its year with an 8-2 record in Annapolis.
- Michael Speciale's four hits on Tuesday tied his career high ... he had reached that mark on three other occasions, with the last coming on April 19, 2008, at Bucknell.
- With Tyler Mapes's performance on Tuesday, the Midshipmen have totaled six saves as a team this year, which is already tied for last year's total and the seventh-highest mark in program history ... Navy recorded a save in each of the last-three games with three different pitchers - Ben Nelson, Drew Carlson and Tyler Mapes.
- The Midshipmen made just one error on Tuesday ... over the last-six games, the Mids have made only four defensive miscues, good for a fielding average of .983 ... also within that span, Navy has turned six double plays.
- Over the last-four games, Navy's pitching staff has allowed only 12 runs ... the Mids have held the opposition to a .205 batting average with only six walks and 25 strikeouts in 34.0 innings.
- Navy is now 11-0 all-time against Iona, a series that began in 2007 ... the Midshipmen defeated the Gaels in all-four meetings this season by a combined score of 26-11.
