Final Stats

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Navy baseball team earned a hard-fought doubleheader split at Holy Cross on Saturday. The two teams that came into the weekend tied atop the Patriot League standings at 4-0, played 17 innings and each came away with one-run victories. The Mids (22-10, 5-1 PL) scored an extra-inning victory at 1-0 in game one before Holy Cross (11-16, 5-1 PL) held off a late Navy comeback attempt to win game two, 3-2.

The pitching staffs for both schools led the way on a blustery and cold day that saw winds consistently blowing between 20 and 35 miles per hour at Fitton Baseball Field. Navy's   Luke Gillingham (Jr., Coronado, Calif.) hurled a complete game five-hit shutout versus the Crusaders in game one, while his eight scoreless innings were mirrored by Holy Cross' game two starting pitcher Ben White.

Offensively, the top three hitters in Navy's batting order Robert Currie (Jr., Atlanta, Ga.), Brad Borosak (Sr., Jupiter, Fla.) and Sean Trent (Jr., Sorrento, Fla.) combined to record 10 of the Mids' 14 hits and drove in all three runs. Borosak was the team's hit leader of the day at four, while Currie drove in a pair of runs.

"Luke was outstanding today," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He scattered five hits and didn't walk anyone. He really did a great job and we got on his back. We competed well in the eighth and scored the go-ahead run. Robert scrapped out an infield hit, stole a base and Brad came through with the big hit to win the game."

"In game two, our pitching wasn't overly sharp, but it gave us a shot to win the game. We had a shot and came back with two runs in the ninth. It just was a little short."

The action in game one moved quickly as both Gillingham and Holy Cross' Donny Murray locked horns in a traditional pitchers' duel as the pair held their opponents off the scoreboard until the eighth inning. Navy didn't record its first hit until Adrian Chinnery (So., Wilmington, Del.) led off the third with a single to right field. Holy Cross had a bit more success off of Gillingham as the host Crusaders got runners on in five of the first seven innings. The southpaw pitched around four of those threats with strikeouts of the final batter. The battery of Chinnery and Gillingham closed out the bottom of the seventh with a strike-him-out throw-him-out as Gillingham struck out Alex Voitek, while Chinnery caught Schlich attempting to steal second base.

Carrying over the momentum of that play, the Mids pieced together a two-out run-scoring rally in its next time at bat in the top of the eighth. Currie started it with an infield single to third base. After a stolen base moved him into scoring position, Borosak came through with an RBI single to right field off of Holy Cross' newly inserted reliever Sean Gustin.

Up 1-0, Gillingham and his defense set down the Crusaders in order in the bottom of the eighth to clinch the victory and win the Mids' third straight extra-inning league contest.

For the game, Navy outhit Holy Cross, 6-5. Borosak was the only Mid with multiple hits as the second baseman had two singles.

Gillingham earned the win to improve to 5-1 on the season. With eight strikeouts, he increased his nation's-best total to 86.

In the second game, Holy Cross took advantage of some early wildness by starter George Coughlin (So., Arvada, Colo.) in the bottom of the first inning to go ahead 1-0. The sophomore righty hit two of the first three Crusaders before falling victim to a Cam O'Neill RBI single.

Holy Cross' starting pitcher Ben White kept Navy's offense off-balanced throughout as the Mids were only able to muster four hits over the first five innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Crusaders expanded on their lead out to 3-0 with two runs scoring on three consecutive hits.

3.2 innings of scoreless relief by Sam Sorenson (Jr., Etters, Pa.) and Colin Brady (Fr., Seneca, S.C.) kept the game at a three-run margin until the ninth inning when Navy's offense gained traction versus Holy Cross' closer, Gustin for the second time in two games. Pinch hitter Stephen Born (Fr., Strafford, Pa.) started the comeback attempt with a leadoff single up the middle. After walks to Ben McGrath (Fr., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Travis Blue (So., Orange, Calif.) loaded the bases, Currie came through with a single down the right field line to score Born and McGrath. Unfortunately, for the Mids and their push to tie the ball game, Gustin buckled down with a strikeout to quell the rally and earn the 3-2 victory for Holy Cross.

For the game, Navy outhit its opponent, 8-7. The top three hitters in the Mids' lineup, Currie, Borosak and Sean Trent (Jr., Sorrento, Fla.) all recorded two hits.

Coughlin took the loss with a 4.1 inning start that saw him allow three runs on five hits and one walk. He struck out five Crusaders before leaving the game.

"It was a very competitive day of baseball," said Kostacopoulos. "I feel that both teams played well considering the conditions. It's real tough to play in extraordinary wind [constant 25-40 mph gusts] like that. Both teams hung in there and focused really well and consequently it was two one-run ball games."  

Navy and Holy Cross will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Fitton Field.