Box Score

KINSTON, N.C. - The Navy baseball team used a well-rounded team effort to earn a 3-1 victory over Air Force on Friday night in game one of the Freedom Classic in Kinston, N.C. Playing at Historic Grainger Stadium, the Mids (4-0) pitching staff held an explosive Falcon (4-1) offense to just one run, while Navy's bats came through with nine total hits and two runs in the fifth inning that flipped the contest into the Mids' favor.

"Tonight we had two very good college pitchers throwing," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "Luke [Gillingham] pitched very well in the sense that he handled a lot of hitters himself with 13 strikeouts. Obviously he set the tone, but at the same time it was a team win. We got hits from a lot of different players; the bottom of the order did a really good job. I thought we were outstanding behind the plate with Nick [Paglialonga] and we got really strong defensive play from our shortstop Travis Blue, who made a couple of critical plays. In tight ballgames like tonight, sometimes if you don't make one play it can escalate into other things. I think we did a good job of handling the pressure and making plays."

Individually, Luke Gillingham (Sr., Coronado, Calif.) spearheaded Navy's pitching staff with 13 strikeouts over seven innings on the mound. He gave up four hits, one walk and a run to the Falcons during his outing. Sam Sorenson (Sr., Etters, Pa.) closed out the Mids' win with 1.2 innings of one-hit relief.

At the plate, Logan Knowles (So., Port Orchard, Wash.), Travis Blue (Jr., Orange, Calif.), Matthew Wilcox (Fr., Los Gatos, Calif.) and Nick Paglialonga (Jr., Lake Forest, Calif.) combined for seven hits and three RBIs. Blue drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth with a single through the left-side hole.

After battling to a 2-1 decision in favor for Air Force last year in game one of the Freedom Classic, the fans in Kinston were treated to another pitcher's duel between the talented duo of Gillingham and Griffin Jax on Friday night. The highly-touted rematch lived up to its billing as both pitchers were locked in over the early innings of the contest. Gillingham struck out six of the first nine Falcons that he faced through three innings, while Jax pitched around three hits to keep the Mids scoreless.

Air Force's offense finally manufactured the game's first run in the top of the fourth inning as a Spencer Draws leadoff single eventually turned into a run after Bradley Haslem shot a single out to right field.

Down 1-0, the Mids responded in the bottom of the fifth with two two-out RBIs. After Wilcox reached via a hit by pitch, the freshman second base came into tie the game on a sharply hit single by Knowles right up the middle underneath the heel of Jax on the mound. Two batters later, Knowles scored Navy's go-ahead run when Blue snuck a single through the left side of the infield and past the outstretched arm of the Falcons' shortstop Tyler Zabojnik.

Spotted a 2-1 lead, Gillingham kept up his high level of pitching during the sixth and seventh innings as the southpaw recorded three more strikeouts to give him 13 on the day. His strikeout total was the fourth-highest single-game mark in his 34 career starts.

Air Force attempted to knot the game in the eighth off of newly-inserted reliever Jett Meenach (Jr., Flower Mound, Texas), but the Falcons' leadoff single by Shaun Mize was quickly erased with a crisp and successful pick-off move by Meenach. After Adam Groesbeck tried to restart his squad's rally with another single, Paglialonga quickly dispatched of the speedy baserunner with a caught-stealing put out at second base.

"Our defense in the eighth inning changed the game," said Kostacopoulos. "We get a big pickoff from Jett, who's got a very good move. Then the next batter gets a hit and goes on the first pitch and gets thrown out; that really ended their threat, pretty much. We did a lot of good things defensively tonight."

The Mids registered an important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as Paglialonga singled in Sean Trent (Sr., Sorrento, Fla.) with a well-hit ball to right field.

Up 3-1, Sorenson pitched around a leadoff hit with a pair of strikeouts and a smooth fielder's choice put at second base by the middle infield duo of Blue and Wilcox. With the five-out save, Sorenson moved into sole possession of fourth-place in the all-time Navy record book with nine career saves.

"Sam had to work," exclaimed Kostacopoulos. "Outs in close games are always hard. He kept his composure and did a good job. In tight games, we really need our team to have that mindset and level of composure. Our demeanor can't change just because there is a runner on."

For the game, Navy outhit Air Force, 9-7. The trio of Blue, Wilcox and Knowles all recorded two hits.

The two teams will meet up again tomorrow for game two of the three-game series at Grainger Stadium. First pitch between the Mids and Falcons is set for 2 p.m.