Final Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team swept its first doubleheader of the season on Sunday as the host Midshipmen took a pair of non-conference games versus Iona (3-10) at Max Bishop Stadium. Navy (9-4) was victorious in the first game by a score of 2-1 and later by a 7-1 score in the second contest.

Navy received stout pitching performances by both of its starters, Luke Gillingham (Jr., Coronado, Calif.) and Stephen Moore (Sr., Roswell, Ga.). Gillingham, the game one starter and Moore, the game two starter, threw seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits in both ends of the twinbill.

"Both starting pitchers were very good today," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "They did a real good job of doing what we've been stressing, which is not getting behind in the count and not walking people. Luke and Steve really did a good job of making Iona earn it today. They also did a nice job of working around some jams. They were great at controlling the tempo of Iona's offense."

Offensively, the Mids were led by Connor Deneen's (Jr., Tustin, Calif.) bat in game one as the junior right fielder was 2-for-2 with both of Navy's RBIs. In the second contest, Robert Currie (Jr., Atlanta, Ga.) tied a career-high with four base hits. Navy's leadoff hitter also scored a team-high two runs in the second game.

In game one's pitcher's duel, Iona attempted to jump out ahead early with two runners on in each of the first and second innings versus Gillingham. The southpaw bent, but didn't break as he struck out Carmine Palummo looking and forced a Kyle DiVico pop up to third base to end the first and struck out Vinny DeMaria and Matt Byrne to quell the Gaels in the second.

With Iona's starting pitcher Mariano Rivera facing just one over the minimum through three innings, the game quickly moved into the fourth. In the fourth inning, both teams were able to break onto the scoreboards as the Gaels turned a two-out walk into a run, while the Mids used a two-out single by Adrian Chinnery (So., Wilmington, Del.) and a triple into left field by Deneen to respond.

After quiet fifth innings by both teams, Navy manufactured the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth. Sean Trent (Jr., Sorrento, Fla.) got the rally going by leading off with an infield single to the shortstop deep in the 5-6 hole. After a sacrifice bunt by Chinnery moved the junior third baseman into scoring position, Deneen came through again with another RBI. The California native calmly stroked an offering from Rivera up the middle of the diamond and into center field to plate Trent.

That was all that Navy would need as Gillingham cruised with a six-pitch three-up, three-down top of the seventh inning to clinch the victory. He improved his record to 2-0 on the year with a final line of 7.0 innings, three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

For the game, the Mids outhit the Gaels by an 8-3 margin. Chinnery, Deneen and Stephen Born (Fr., Strafford, Pa.) all collected two hits in the contest.

"We got the big hit from Connor so that was huge," said Kostacopoulos. "That was your prototypical seven inning game. It's usually the top arms going at it from each team and then you've got two less innings to score so you've got to take advantage of openings and succeed with men on base. We happened to get that big hit and that was enough to win the game."

In the second contest, runs were a little easier to come by for the Mids as the team was able to grab a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Navy took advantage of a pair of Iona errors to score their runs. Brad Borosak (Sr., Jupiter, Fla.) and Trent earned RBIs for the Mids as Borosak laid down a perfectly placed safety squeeze bunt to score Drew Hayes (Jr., Collegeville, Pa.), while Trent hit a deep sacrifice fly out to right field to plate Borosak. In between Hayes and Borosak scoring, Currie recorded the Mids' second run of the inning on a two-base fielding error by the Gaels' shortstop on a double steal attempt by Navy.

Moore controlled Iona as the Gaels never had more than one man on base over the first four innings of play. In the fifth, Iona scored its only run of the game as Jon Budesa grounded out to second base to plate Vinny DeMaria. After that unearned run, Moore set the Gaels down six-up, six-down in his final two innings of action in the sixth and seventh.

The senior righty would depart the game a final pitching line of 7.0 innings, three hits, one walk, one unearned run and four strikeouts.

With the score 4-1 in favor of Navy, the Mids tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the win. Currie and Patrick Brady (So., Charlotte, N.C.), a late-inning defensive sub, carried the offensive attack in the eighth as Currie singled in Jack Keller (Sr., Ballston Spa, N.Y.) before Brady shot a single into right field to score Travis Blue (So., Orange, Calif.) and Currie.

Sam Sorenson (Jr., Etters, Pa.) pitched the final two innings to seal the victory and earn his second save of the season.

For the game, Navy outhit Iona, 9-4. Currie led a group of six Mids with hits as he accounted for four of Navy's base knocks.

"We were good today with executing our smaller tactics; our sacrifice bunts, our stolen base attempts and even a safety squeeze," said Kostacopoulos. In the third inning, we did a good job of executing our offense with two bunts and a double steal. We didn't swing it extremely well today, but at the same time we got hits with men on base and that'll allow you to score runs."

Navy will continue its homestand with a 3 p.m. contest versus Delaware State on Monday, March 9.