Final Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team kicked off its Patriot League slate with a strong statement on Saturday as the Mids swept the defending league champions, Bucknell with a 4-2 victory in game one and a 7-1 decision in game two. Playing in winter-like conditions with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark at Max Bishop Stadium, Navy's (18-9, 2-0 PL) offense was hot as it combined for 19 hits off of Bucknell (14-9, 0-2 PL) pitching. A pair of quality starts by Midshipmen pitchers Luke Gillingham (Jr., Coronado, Calif.) and George Coughlin (So., Arvada, Colo.) helped Navy minimized Bucknell's offense that came in hitting .276 and scoring 5.9 runs per game.

"That was a complete team effort," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We played very good defense, we pitched well, we executed our offense, we picked up runners in scoring position, we were able to pick up hits with two strikes. We did all the little things well that might not show up in the box score, but they'll definitely help you win a game. We did that today."

"We got great pitching all day. Luke did a good job and left the bases loaded twice. Jett came out and finished off game one. In game two, George gave us a great start and Sam and Colin gave us solid relief outings. Everyone that stepped on the field today contributed to us winning."

Offensively, Navy was led by Robert Currie (Jr., Atlanta, Ga.), Logan Knowles (Fr. Port Orchard, Wash.) and Leland Saile (So., Land O'Lakes, Fla.), who combined to hit 10-for-18 with five RBIs. In his first game back after being sidelined briefly with an injury, Currie had four hits, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI, while Knowles started his fifth and sixth straight games at third base and went four-for-six with a double, two runs and an RBI. Saile was Navy's RBI leader with three runs driven in.

On the mound, the Mids trotted out five pitchers and combined to allow just three runs over 16.0 innings. All three relievers, Sam Sorenson (Jr., Etters, Pa.), Colin Brady (Fr., Seneca, S.C.) and Jett Meenach (So., Flower Mound, Texas) had scoreless outings, while Gillingham and Coughlin both worked into the seventh inning. Gillingham went 6.2 innings with two runs allowed on just three hits and seven strikeouts. Coughlin followed up his teammate with 6.1 innings with one run allowed on five hits and two strikeouts.

In the first game, Navy had at least one baserunner on in every inning. That consistent pressure would eventually prove beneficial to the Mids, who fell behind 1-0 in the third inning. Navy quickly fought back from that deficit with two runs in the bottom of the third. Extra-base hits in the form of a leadoff double by Knowles and a triple by Currie got that rally in motion. Two batters after his triple, Currie came into score on a single up the middle by Saile.

Gillingham kept it at a 2-1 score with gutsy pitching in the fourth and fifth innings. He pitched around an error and two walks in the fourth and a runner on third base in the fifth.

Navy added two important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to build its lead out to 4-1. A one-out double by Connor Deneen (Jr., Tustin, Calif.) kick started the offense in that frame. He came into score on a single to center field by the next batter Adrian Chinnery (So., Wilmington, Del.). Two batters later, it was Chinnery's turn to score as he cross home on an RBI single by Knowles.

With the score 4-1 and last ups ahead of them, the Bison put up a small fight in the top of the seventh inning as they recorded one run and challenged for more before Meenach came out of the bullpen and extinguished the rally with three straight strikes that froze the Bucknell cleanup hitter Jon Mayer for a game-ending strikeout.

For the game, Navy outhit Bucknell 8-3. Currie and Knowles each recorded two hits in the contest. Gillingham earned the win on the mound, while Meenach got his second save of the season.

"Currie is a big part of what we do," said Kostacopoulos. "He gives us a sense of identity when we're out there playing. It was good to have him back and hopefully we'll get him back to a hundred percent in the next week or so."

30 minutes after wrapping up a crisply played game one victory over the preseason Patriot League favorites, the Mids came out swinging in game two. Taking on Xavier Hammond, a lefty hurler for Bucknell, who seemingly had Navy's number during multiple appearances in 2014, the Mids jumped on the southpaw for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Travis Blue (So., Orange, Calif.) came in for the first run on a wild pitch before Currie and Sean Trent (Jr., Sorrento, Fla.) scored on RBI singles by Saile and Deneen.

Up 3-0, Navy extended its lead out to four runs with a single score in the second inning. After Brad Borosak (Sr., Jupiter, Fla.) led off with a bunt single to the pitcher, he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Knowles before coming in on a muffed grounder by Bucknell's third baseman off the bat of Currie.

The Bison cut one off the 4-0 score with a single run in the top of the third inning. That would be Bucknell's final run as Coughlin and his pitching mates, as well Navy's defense locked down the Bison's bats over the final six innings. Coughlin threw 3.1 more scoreless innings, while the Mids' defense turned double plays in the fourth and ninth innings.

Up three runs at 4-1, Navy locked up the victory with one run in the bottom of the third and two in the sixth. Borosak drove in the Mids' run in the third inning before Trent and Saile registered the RBIs in the sixth.

In the 7-1 victory, Navy outhit Bucknell 11-8. Currie, Trent, Deneen and Knowles all had two hits in the game.

"We did some really good things versus the lefty [Hammond] in game two," said Kostacopoulos. "We played the short game very well against him. We created two or three opportunities by base hit bunts or sacrifice bunts. Because of that we were able to stay out of double plays and score runners from third base. I thought we did a really good job of doing something that we practice an awful lot of and it proved to pay off today."

Coughlin earned the win to improve to 4-1 on the season. Sorenson and Brady combined for 2.2 scoreless innings in relief after Coughlin retired.

Navy and Bucknell will complete their series on Sunday with another doubleheader. First pitch of game one is slated for 12 p.m.