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LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Navy baseball team opened Patriot League conference play on Saturday with a doubleheader split at Bucknell University. Taking on the preseason favorite Bison (4-12, 1-1 PL) at their home facility, Depew Field, the Mids (15-5, 1-1 PL) fell in game one by a score of 10-2 before coming back in game two and securing a 3-2 win.

Looking for answers after a tough first game, senior starting pitcher Sean Kamhoot (Sr., Gainesville, Fla.) took control and held Bucknell scoreless into the eighth inning with just three hits allowed. The Bison eventually got to him for a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth, but Jared Leins (Fr., Raleigh, N.C.) came in relief and limited the rally. In a one-run game, the freshman showed no jitters and closed out the victory.

"Sean was as good as he's ever been," exclaimed head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "The team needed a strong response in game two and he was outstanding for us. He was efficient and threw strike after strike with no dynamic contact by a Bucknell bat. After he left, Jared came in a during a pressure-packed situation and shined. Our back was against the wall and he came through when it mattered most. Those were big put outs by a freshman in a one-run game."

Offensively, Evan Lowery (So., Williamsburg, Va.) and Jacob Williamson (So., Sims, N.C.) led the Mids' effort versus a stout Bison pitching staff. Lowery came away with four hits on Saturday, including three in game two. He drove in a team-high two runs. His fellow sophomore, Williamson went 3-for-6 on the day with a double and a sacrifice fly RBI.

"Evan had a big day at the plate for us and found success against two talented senior pitchers," said Kostacopoulos. "Give credit to Van Hoose and Gottesman, they are two veteran pitchers, who pitched and schemed well against us. We had to scrap and battle all day."

Game One: Bucknell 10 - Navy 2

The first game on Saturday started with both offenses leaving their mark quickly. In the top of the first inning, singles by Stephen Born (Sr., Strafford, Pa.) and Williamson gave the Mids runners on first and third with two outs. The next batter, Lowery hit a sharp ground ball to second base that was misplayed by the Bucknell defender and sent Born home for the early 1-0 lead.

The Bison responded immediately in the bottom of the first with a single run to knot the game at 1-1.

Bucknell broke the tie in the second inning with three runs on one hit, one error and three walks.

With the score 4-1, the Bison tacked on two additional runs in the bottom of the third and four in the fourth inning to increase their lead to 10-1.

Down by nine, Navy shaved a run off of its deficit in the top of the fifth as Williamson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Zach Biggers (So., Walhalla, S.C.) from third base.

The Mids continued looking for more runs in the sixth and seventh innings as Tristan Capocci (Fr., Villa Rica, Ga.), Michael Coritz (So., Clifton, Va.), Logan Knowles (Sr., Port Orchard, Wash.) and Christian Hodge (Jr., Winder, Ga.) all had base hits over the last two stanzas, but unfortunately for the Mids they were left stranded.

For the game, Navy and Bucknell tied with eight hits each. Coritz was the Mids' team leader as he went 2-for-2 with a single, double and a walk.

In an uncharacteristically wild start, Noah Song (Jr., Claremont, Calif.) took the loss for Navy with a line of 3.2 innings, six hits, 10 runs (six earned), six walks and three strikeouts. In relief, Trey Seabrooke (So., Jacksonville, Fla.) hurled 2.1 innings of scoreless, two-hit action.

Game Two: Navy 3 - Bucknell 2

The second game on Saturday opened with both starting pitchers, Kamhoot for Navy and Jeff Gottesman for Bucknell controlling the action. In a classic pitchers' duel, the right-handers tossed zero after zero up on the scoreboard for each of the first five innings.

Showcasing swing-and-miss action, Kamhoot recorded five strikeouts through four frames, including two in the bottom of the first. Bucknell was unable to send more than four batters to the plate in an inning over Kamhoot's first seven trips to the mound. Navy's defense helped the senior pitcher with a 6-4-3 double play in the third inning before he helped himself in the seventh with a pickoff of Luke Johnson at first base.

With Bucknell's bats contained, it was up to Navy's offense to scratch out a run and break the scoreless tie. The Mids pressured Gottesman and Bison in the second inning by loading bases with two outs, but we unable to push home that first run. It wasn't until the top of the sixth that Navy solved Gottesman and went ahead 1-0. Williamson started the rally with a one-out walk before advancing to third on a single by Lowery. With runners on the corners, Hodge laid down a squeeze bunt to score Williamson.

The game continued at a 1-0 margin into the top of the eighth when Navy's first three hitters, Biggers, Williamson and Lowery all reached safely. After a Biggers single and a Williamson double gave the Mids two runners in scoring position, Lowery deposited a single into left field to plate two. Liam Lowery (Jr., Williamsburg, Va.) nearly drove in Navy's fourth run of the game with a double to right field, but his younger brother held up at third. Consecutive putouts kept the game at a 3-0 score in favor of the Mids.

Bucknell finally had an answer for Kamhoot and Navy in the bottom of the eighth. The host Bison had three of its first four batters reach safely. With score now 3-1 and runners on second and third with one out, Kamhoot was relieved by Leins. The freshman right-hander got back-to-back fly outs to limit the damage to just one sacrifice fly RBI.

The Bison's comeback attempt continued in the ninth inning as the first batter, Luke Hartman reached on a single. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, Leins shut down any further comeback thoughts with a foul pop out and strike three looking to Miles Moore.

For the game, Navy outhit Bucknell, 8-7. Evan Lowery and Williamson each tallied multiple hits as Lowery was 3-for-4 and Williamson was 2-for-3.

On the mound, Kamhoot finished with a line of 7.1 innings, six hits, two runs, no walks and a career-high eight strikeouts. An efficient strike thrower, Kamhoot needed just 86 pitches to complete his outing. In capturing his second save of 2018, Leins went 1.2 innings with one hit and one strikeout.

"Coming away with a split today is a solid result," remarked Kostacopoulos. "Its league play, so every game is always tight, especially against a program like Bucknell that we've played six-plus times in each of our past two seasons. We'll regroup and show up tomorrow ready to go."

Navy and Bucknell will close out their four-game series on Sunday with a 12 p.m. doubleheader at Depew Field. Game one of the twinbill be streamed on the Patriot League Network.