Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team saw its 2018 season come to an end on Monday with a dramatic back-and-forth 5-3 defeat to Army in game two of the best-of-three Patriot League Baseball Championship Finals. Coming into the day down 1-0 in the series, the Mids (38-16) knew the task ahead of them would require a doubleheader sweep of the Black Knights (35-22). The determined host team fought valiantly throughout the first game at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium and took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning before the visitors from West Point came from behind and tacked on three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-3 advantage that they would eventually hold on to for the win.

"That was a really, tough competitive game today," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We needed a couple more big hits to come away with the victory, but just came up a bit short. At the end of the day, it came down to clutch hits and Army being able to get out of jams when they needed it the most late in the game. This was a great championship game and series."

The top individual standouts for Navy on Monday, included Zach Biggers (So., Walhalla, S.C.), Liam Lowery (Jr., Williamsburg, Va.) and Michael Coritz (So., Clifton, Va.) on offense and Sean Kamhoot (Sr., Gainesville, Fla.) on the mound. Biggers recorded a game-high three hits for the Mids, while Lowery and Coritz sparked the team's sixth-inning rally with RBIs as Lowery launched an opposite field home run to knot the game at 2-2 before Coritz doubled in the go-ahead run two batters later.

As the Mids' starting pitcher, Kamhoot was on the mound into the sixth inning as he went 5.2 innings and held the Black Knights to just two earned runs on seven scattered hits.

"Sean did a really good job for us today," said Kostacopoulos. "He left the game with us up 3-2. Army came through with a few big hits after he left, but that's baseball. Our pitching staff and defense didn't give them anything, Army earned all of their offense. They earned this series."

The action on Monday was constant as both teams hounded the opposing starting pitchers early and often. After Navy were unsuccessful in cashing in two runners on base in the top of the first, the designated home team, Army, left its mark in the bottom of the first when Josh White drove in Jacob Hurtubise with a single.

Down 1-0, the Mids looked to tie it up immediately in the top of the second as Jacob Williamson (So., Sims, N.C.) led off with an infield single to third base. Following a pair of putouts, Coritz lined a double into the left field corner to advance Williamson to third and give the Mids' third baseman a chance to score as he was waved home. A quick and efficient relay throw in from the leftfielder via the shortstop, cut Williamson down at the plate to keep it at 1-0.

The second-seeded Black Knights nearly made it 2-0 in the bottom of the third if not for a web gem worthy play by Biggers, the 2018 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. Miraculously ranging all the way into the center of the diamond from his second base position, Biggers dove, snared the ball and from an off-balanced position fired a dart to Christian Hodge (Jr., Winder, Ga.) at first base to put out a speedy Jon Rosoff, 4-3, and end Army's time at bat in the third.

Navy kept the pressure on Army's starting pitcher Matt Ball into the fourth and fifth innings as the team continued to have at least one baserunner on in every frame. Still trailing by one run, the Mids finally broke through in the top of the fifth as Logan Knowles (Sr., Port Orchard, Wash.) drew a one-out hit by pitch. After Biggers doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third, Stephen Born (Sr., Strafford, Pa.) tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI groundout to the shortstop.

The 1-1 score didn't last for long as the Black Knights responded with a single run of their own in the bottom half of the fifth.

The newly invigorated offenses continued to hold court into the sixth inning as Lowery smashed a solo home run over the left field wall to make it 2-2. The two-out rally continued as Alex Smith (So., Stafford, Va.) doubled down the left field line before Coritz deposited a single into left field to drive in his sophomore classmate and put the Mids in front 3-2.

Army tried its hand at a rebuttal in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff single by Trey Martin off of Kamhoot, but senior hurler struck out Matt Hudgins looking and Drake Titus via a fly out before retiring from the contest when Jared Leins (Fr., Raleigh, N.C.) was called in from the bullpen. The Mids' freshman closer shut down the initial threat by forcing a weak groundout to the shortstop.

The makeup of the game was flipped in favor of the Black Knights in the bottom of the seventh as the team plated three runs on two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. Eventual Patriot League Tournament MVP Anthony Giachin came through with the big hit as the freshman third baseman shot a double into the right-center field gap to drive in two runs.

Those three runs gave Army a 5-3 lead that it would not relinquish over the final two frames. Navy left it all on the line in the eighth and ninth innings as the top-seeded squad had two men on base in the eighth and led off with a walk in the ninth, but unfortunately Army's bullpen formula of Jacob Carte, Sam Messina and Cam Opp would be able to quell the Mids' comeback efforts.

For the game, Navy outhit Army, 12-9. Biggers (3), Williamson (2) and Coritz (2) all registered multiple hits for the Mids. Biggers' fifth inning double was his 20th of the season.

Kamhoot took a no-decision for his 88 pitch outing. The senior Midshipmen exited the game with a final line of 5.2 innings, seven hits, two runs, one walk and three strikeouts. In his first season as a starting pitcher for Navy, the one-time outfielder, finished his campaign with a 5-1 record, 2.44 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 85.0 innings in 14 games pitched.

"Winning game one gave them [Army] a lot of choices for today with what they could do with their pitching," said Kostacopoulos. "That was big. It's a three game series and they won game one. The pressure was on us to come back and sweep a doubleheader against a team that won 35 games this season. That was a tough task, but we left it all out there."

Post-game, three members of Navy were announced as members of the 2018 Patriot League All-Tournament Team for their efforts versus Holy Cross last weekend in the semifinals and against Army in the finals: Michael Coritz (.500 BA, 3 Runs, 3 2B, 3 RBI), Stephen Born (.304, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI) and Sean Kamhoot (1.29 ERA, 14.0 IP, 2 R, 9 K).

Monday's loss concludes Navy's season with a record of 38-16. The team's 38 wins are the second-most in program history, trailing only the 2016 club that won 43 games during its run to the NCAA Regionals. Over the past four years, the Mids have won 37, 43, 37 and 38 games for a grand total of 155 victories, the winningiest four-year stretch of action for Navy Baseball.

Monday marked the final collegiate action for the Mids' six-man Class of 2018: team captain CF Logan Knowles, RF Stephen Born, SP Sean Kamhoot, RP Colin Brady, 1B Ben Lowe and student assistant coach Jordan Baker.

"I love our seniors," exclaimed Kostacopoulos. "They've won four straight Patriot League regular season titles, four straight N-Star competitions with Army and 35-plus games every year to make them the winningiest class in program history. You forget sometimes because you get caught up in the moment how much effort they put into being quality players and to make this a quality program. They're the kind of guys that may not play anymore, but they will have a presence here. They are six very impactful individuals. We will remember how they played, how they competed and how they wanted to win. It may not even be on a conscious level, but subconsciously we will know what that have put into this program. They have so much to be proud of over these last four years."