Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team opened the home portion of its 2016 season with a 20-4 victory over Delaware State on Wednesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids (6-1) dominated the Hornets (0-9) from start as they batted around in both the second and third innings to record 20 total runs by the end of the third. Solid relief pitching from a quartet of freshmen making their collegiate debuts helped Navy post zeroes versus Delaware State over the final five innings.

"It was one of those games where we were able to get out in front early and then sustain what we needed to sustain later on to win the game," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We showed good balance and got production from quite a few different players. Our pitchers showed a good attack and threw strikes to keep the game moving.

Offensively, 16 players got plate appearances for the host Midshipmen during the contest and 10 recorded at least one base hit. Leaders for Navy, included Sean Trent (Sr., Sorrento, Fla.), Stephen Born (So., Strafford, Pa.) and Christian Hodge (Fr., Winder, Ga.). Trent and Hodge tied for the team-lead with three hits each, while Trent and Born drove in three RBIs a piece.

On the mound, starter Colin Brady (So., Seneca, S.C.) went four innings to get the victory in the predetermined staff day and struck out four Hornet batters. After Brady left the contest, the freshmen quartet of J.P. Colton (Maitland, Fla.), Jackson Zoch (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Rece Goodman (Irvine, Calif.) and Andrew Sauer (Johns Creek, Ga.) shutout Delaware State to the tune of 5.0 innings, two hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

Born got the home opener for the Mids started with a bang as the sophomore collected Navy's first hit with a triple to straight-away centerfield. He was the first of three Mids with hits in the first inning as Trent singled him into to score Navy's first run before Connor Deneen (Sr., Tustin, Calif.) recorded another single. A sacrifice fly to left field by Leland Saile (Jr., Land O'Lakes, Fla.) plated Trent before a balk by Cole Davis, the Hornets' starting pitcher, allowed Deneen to score.

With the score 3-1 after one, the Mids broke the game open in the second inning by sending 15 men to the plate and scoring 11 runs on nine hits from eight different players. Trent led the way with a single and later on a double. Six Midshipmen had RBIs in the frame with Born knocking in a pair of runs. Both Born and Trent squared up Hornet pitching for doubles, while Travis Blue (Jr., Orange, Calif.) hit the first of his two straight triples.

Navy extended its lead from 14-1 to 20-1 in the third with six more runs. Blue, Hodge, Logan Knowles (So., Port Orchard, Wash.) and Andrew Lowry (Fr., El Cajon, Calif.) all collected base hits with Blue second's triple leading the way. Single RBIs came off the bats of Blue, Hodge, Knowles and Born, while the final two runs for the Mids were scored off of wild pitches.

With the game well in hand, Kostacopoulos went to his bench frequently with seven offensive substitutes and four relievers out of the bullpen over the final six innings of play. Highlights during that period, included the first collegiate hits by Lowry and Scott Koscho (Fr., Trafford, Pa.) and five scoreless relief innings from Colton, Zoch, Goodman and Sauer. While Colton was on the mound for a two-inning performance, the freshman righty struck out four Delaware State batters.

"The performance from our freshmen pitchers is what you want to see; they went in there and threw strikes," said Kostacopoulos. "It was nice to have them get their feet wet in a game where they could work their way through some things."

For the game, Navy outhit Delaware State, 18-7 with five extra-base hits, including two each from Born and Blue.

The Mids will be back in action on Friday with the first matchup of a three-game series against Central Connecticut State. First pitch between the two teams on Friday is set for 2 p.m. at Max Bishop Stadium.