March 16, 2011

Box Score

Coach Paul | Alex

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Navy baseball team put together its most complete game of the season thus far on Wednesday as it defeated Jacksonville State, 8-5, in its final game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla. A total of eight different players recorded a hit as the Midshipmen won their third-straight game and improved to 9-7-1 on the season.

Jacksonville State, which played in last year's NCAA Tournament, is now 11-5.

"We had a lot of good things happen today," said Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We played good offense, executed, sacrificed, stole bases and also played good defense. It was our most complete effort of the year."

Navy got a strong starting pitching performance from freshman Taylor Cato, who picked up his first collegiate win. Cato retired the first 10 hitters of the game and went on to allow three runs (two earned) off four hits before being replaced with one out in the top of the sixth inning.

"He's been working with Coach Mau and each week we've seen a little bit of improvement," said Kostacopoulos. "Hopefully, we can keep moving in that direction with a couple mores starts before Patriot League play."

Preston Gainey took over for Cato on the hill and was equally as impressive in just his second outing of the season. The right-hander allowed one run and scattered two hits in 2.2 innings.

Navy jumped on JSU in the first inning after a pair of two-out singles by Alex Axor and Dave Milanes. Greg Dupell and Matt Kilby then brought in both runners with consecutive RBI singles.

After Cato held Jacksonville State hitless through 3.1 innings, the Gamecocks used a walk and three-straight base hits to tie the score. A bases-loaded walk later in the inning gave JSU the lead, 3-2.

The Gamecock's advantage didn't last long though, as an RBI single by Josh Moore and RBI double by Jeff Bland quickly gave Navy back the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the fourth inning.

After an RBI ground out by Milanes in the fifth frame, Navy added to its lead with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Bland set the table with a leadoff triple and two batters later with two runners on, Brandon Beans delivered with a two-RBI double to right center field.

Azor then made the score 8-3 with an RBI ground out that plated Beans.

Three of the first four Gamecock hitters reached base in the top of the ninth inning and then a two-RBI double by Sam Eberle sliced Navy's lead to 8-5. Dwayne Gammage then took the hill with runners on first and second base and induced a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to preserve the win and earn his first-career save.

Navy, now 7-1-1 in its last nine games, will return home to face Yale this weekend with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

Notes...
• With two more hits on Wednesday, Alex Azor now has a team-leading 11 multi-hit games...Azor also currently has a team-season high eight-game hitting streak.
• Jeff Bland's triple in the eighth inning was the first of his career (118 games).
• After being out of action since March 8, Brandon Beans extended his hitting streak to nine games with his eighth-inning double.
• Navy's three stolen bases were one shy of its season high (March 4, vs. UMBC).