Box Score April 3, 2016 Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After dropping a pair of tight contests on Saturday to Holy Cross, the Navy baseball team came back with a vengeance on Sunday with a doubleheader sweep of its own. The action on Sunday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium saw the Mids (21-8-1, 2-2 PL) defeat the Crusaders (11-18, 2-2 PL) by a score of 9-0 in game one and 4-2 in game two. Navy got strong offensive production from across its lineup, including a 4-for-7 day at the plate by Adrian Chinnery (Jr., Wilmington, Del.), as well as stout pitching from a quartet of arms led by Noah Song (Fr., Claremont, Calif.), who hurled a one-hitter in game one.
"Today was a good bounce back performance," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "Taking two wins from a quality team was a good outcome for us. It was one of those days where we got a complete effort. Our pitching was outstanding, our defense was really good and our offense was swinging it. Everyone found a way to contribute and help us win. This was great to see after struggling a little bit yesterday."
At the plate, Chinnery posted a .571 batting average with a home run and two runs scored during the doubleheader. He was aided in his effort by Sean Trent (Sr., Sorrento, Fla.) and Matthew Wilcox (Fr., Los Gatos, Calif.), who each went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Chinnery, Trent and Scott Koscho (Fr., Trafford, Pa.) all recorded two RBIs during the doubleheader.
"Adrian was our spark today," said Kostacopoulos. "His home run in game two got us going. He put together competitive at bats every time up there and gave us an opportunity to do some really good things offensively."
On the mound, Song allowed just a second-inning single to Holy Cross before cruising to a 102-pitch, seven-inning complete game shutout. The freshman right-handed pitcher walked three and struck out three to close out his nearly flawless line. The second game trio of Kyle Condry (Jr., Highland Village, Texas), Jett Meenach (Jr., Flower Mound, Texas) and Sam Sorenson (Sr., Etters, Pa.) contained the Crusaders to the tune of six combined hits and two runs (one earned) with 11 strikeouts. Condry started and went 5.2 innings with two runs allowed and seven punch outs before handing the ball off to Meenach and Sorenson, who threw 3.1 scoreless innings of one-hit relief.
"Noah was very impressive," said Kostacopoulos. "There was a little bit of pressure on him when your team didn't necessarily get its desired results the day before. To throw a complete game one-hitter was outstanding. I thought Kyle threw really well in the second game and gave us another quality start. Our bullpen with Jett and Sam were good too."
The action on Sunday began with both Song and Holy Cross' starting pitcher Justin Finan turning in three-up, three-down first innings. Moving forward that would be a regular occurrence for Song, though not so much for Finan as Navy would soon begin a consistent barrage on offense.
After Holy Cross recorded its only hit of the game on a single by Bill Schlich in the top of the second inning, Navy broke through in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff walk by Stephen Born (So., Strafford, Pa.). After another walk and then a wild pitch, Born came into score the game's first run on an RBI ground out by Koscho.
Up 1-0, the Mids registered their first multi-run inning of the series with a four-run frame in the bottom of the third. In consecutive at bats, Robert Currie (Sr., Atlanta, Ga.), Travis Blue (Jr., Orange, Calif.), Chinnery and Born all scored; the first three on singles and the fourth, Born, coming in on another RBI ground out by Koscho.
Spotted a five-run lead, Song made quick work of the Crusaders over the final four innings of the game with just one batter, Anthony Critelli reaching base via a sixth inning walk.
Navy plated four more runs over the fourth and fifth innings with a wild pitch and Blue sacrifice fly netting a pair of runs in the fourth and an RBI triple by Connor Deneen (Sr., Tustin, Calif.) and a wild pitch pushing across two in the fifth.
In the 9-0 victory, Navy outhit Holy Cross, 7-1. Both Chinnery and Wilcox squared up Crusader pitching for two hits each.
After getting shutout in game one, Holy Cross quickly got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning in game two. A leadoff double by Nick Lovullo eventually turned in the second contest's first run on a passed ball.
The game stayed at 1-0 margin for the next three innings, as Condry settled in and only faced one over the minimum, while Holy Cross' George Capen limited Navy to just one hit in his first time through the batting order.
In the bottom of the fourth, Navy finally had an answer for Capen and Holy Cross as Chinnery picked up his team with a deep fly ball out over the center field wall for his first home run of the 2016 season. Using that new-found energy, Born reached on a bunt single before Deneen and Nick Paglialonga (Jr., Lake Forest, Calif.) each recorded their own singles. Paglialonga's hit gave the Mids their first lead as he drove in Born from third base.
Up 2-1, Navy kept its foot on the gas pedal with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth with Currie sprinting in on a wild pitch and Born coming in on a single to centerfield by Trent.
A 4-1 lead would be sufficient for the Mids for the remainder of the game as the Crusaders were only able to muster a single run in the top of the sixth. Meenach and Sorenson played a large role in that as Meenach pitched around a two-on, two-out situation in the sixth and recorded two strikeouts in the seventh. After Travis Cloney reached on a one-out walk in the top of the eighth, Sorenson was summoned from the bullpen and promptly got out that situation with a strike out of Connor Perry swinging and a strong-armed caught stealing put out from Paglialonga at second base. The caught stealing put out was the 15th of the season for Paglialonga.
A strikeout of the Patriot League's leading home run hitter Anthony Critelli by Sorenson in the top of the ninth closed out the game and the Mids' victory.
In the 4-2 win, Navy outhit Holy Cross, 9-6. Currie and Chinnery tied for the team-high with two hits each.
On the mound, Condry earned the win to improve to 3-0 on the year, while Sorenson picked up his third save of 2016 with a line of 1.2 innings, one hit and two strikeouts.
For the series, Navy outhit Holy Cross, .261 to .180 and outscored its opposition, 16-9. Chinnery led the host team with a combined batting average of .615 (8-13). He was one of four Mids that hit .300 or better; Born hit .385 (5-13), Deneen, .357 (5-14) and Wilcox .300 (3-10). A well-balanced offensive attack saw seven different players record RBIs.
On the mound, a stellar 32.0 innings of pitching saw Navy post a 1.41 staff ERA with 27 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP. Song, Luke Gillingham (Sr., Coronado, Calif.) and George Coughlin (Jr., Arvada, Colo.) all threw 6.0-plus innings and allowed three or less runs. The bullpen trio of Meenach, Sorenson and Andrew Bartek (Sr., Jefferson, Ga.) combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless three-hit relief work.
"The Patriot League is very even," remarked Kostacopoulos. "Every win you get in the league is precious. There are six quality clubs in the conference and we got out of this weekend with a 2-2 record. We'll take that result and move onto next weekend."
Navy will back in action in short order as the team will travel to Bethesda, Md. for a non-conference showdown with Georgetown on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch between the Mids and Hoyas is scheduled for 3 p.m.
