WORCESTER, Mass. – The Navy baseball team (17-9, 6-2 Patriot League) split its second-straight road doubleheader on Monday afternoon at Holy Cross (5-20, 2-2 Patriot League) The Midshipmen started out fast with a 6-1 victory in game one but dropped game two to the Crusaders, 4-0.
 
Charlie Connolly (So., Wayne, Pa.) posted a career-high 10 strikeouts in the win in game one. Over the two games, Navy had six different players record multi-hit games as it tallied 18 hits on the day.
 
"We did a good job in the first game scoring six runs in a seven-inning game," head coach Paul Kostacopoulos said after the doubleheader. "We bunched some hits together and did a good job. Charlie [Connolly] struggled a little bit with the strike zone, but he competed and got out of jams.
 
"In the second game, Liam Dvorak did a good job staying on the outside corner to righties and had a good changeup to lefties. He had a good pattern and kept it going. We still had some opportunities, but could not get the big hit to break the ice. That is going to happen sometimes, but we have to bounce back and make some adjustments and learn from our game two experience."
 
Navy 6, Holy Cross 1
 
The Midshipmen got off to a fast start in the first game of the day with six runs and eight hits over the first two innings. Evan Lowery (Jr., Williamsburg, Va.) started the game with a single and with two outs in the inning, Liam Lowery (Sr., Williamsburg, Va.) doubled to the gap in left-center field to plate Evan Lowery from third base to give Navy a 1-0 lead. 
 
In the second inning, the Midshipmen tallied three-straight one-out singles to load the bases. Michael Coritz (Jr., Clifton, Va.) drove in a run with a single back up the middle to double the Midshipmen's lead. Holy Cross looked to turn an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded, but a misplayed groundball allowed Joe Simourian (Fr., Andover, Mass.) to score and all Navy baserunners were safe. 
 
Liam Lowery delivered the big hit in the second inning with his second double of the game, which drove in three runs and pushed Navy's lead to 6-0.
 
Holy Cross got a run back in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff single from Evan Blum came into score following a pair of passed balls sandwiched by a balk.
 
Over the final five innings, both pitchers settled down and did not give up a run. The Midshipmen had just three hits down the stretch and the Crusaders only notched a pair of hits in the fourth inning for their three hits in the ballgame.
 
Connolly set a new career high in strikeouts with 10 against Holy Cross. Prior to Monday, his career best was eight strikeouts against Coppin State earlier this year. Connolly (3-1) allowed an unearned run on three hits and four walks in his six innings. Trey Braithwaite (So., Winchester, Va.) came in with a runner on base in the seventh inning and struck out two batters to seal Navy's 6-1 victory.
 
Noah Luckenbaugh (1-1) allowed six runs – five earned – on 10 hits in five innings of work. 
 
Holy Cross 4, Navy 0
 
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Crusaders recorded a two-out run in the third inning to grab an early 1-0 lead over the Midshipmen.
 
Over the first four innings, Navy recorded six hits and left six runners on base with five in scoring position. In all four frames, the Midshipmen had stranded a runner in scoring position.
 
Holy Cross created some separation late in the game with two runs on a hit and an error in the seventh inning to take a 3-0 lead into the final two innings of the game. 
 
After falling behind by three runs, Navy got the first two runners on base to start the eighth inning, but a double play and strikeout ended the threat and Navy as still trailing, 3-0.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Midshipmen gave up another run after an error allowed the Crusaders to take a 4-0 lead.
 
Navy was unable to mount a comeback as it lost the second game of the doubleheader to Holy Cross, 4-0.
 
Colin Taeschner (Fr., Port Republic, Md.) suffered the loss after throwing 2-2/3 innings allowing one run on two hits and three walks as he slips to 2-1 on the season.
 
Liam Dvorak (3-2) went eight innings in the shutout and gave up seven hits while striking out seven.
 
The Midshipmen are back on the road on Wednesday afternoon against Georgetown in Rockville, Md., at 4 p.m.