ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy baseball's (6-6) offense stayed hot on Thursday afternoon and scored double-digit runs for the third straight game and beat UMBC (2-5), 13-4, as the Midshipmen won their fourth-straight game.
 
Over the last three games, the Midshipmen have hit .374 at the plate and scored 36 runs to spark a four-game winning streak. On Thursday, all nine starters recorded a hit with six notching multi-hit games. Ryan Duffey (So., Duxbury, Mass.) and Michael Coritz (Jr., Clifton, Va.) had three hits and three runs scored each. Zach Biggers (Jr., Walhalla, S.C.) drove in three runs on two hits against the Retrievers. Navy's 17 hits in the game set a new season best, surpassing its 12-hit game on Tuesday against Delaware State. The 17 hits were also their best in a game since March 31, 2018, when the Midshipmen produced 21 hits against Lafayette. 
 
"We have done a couple of things that are critical in scoring," head coach Paul Kostacopoulos said about the offense. "One is getting two-out hits and the other is getting hits with two strikes. That tells me the approach is a little better and we are seeing the ball a little bit better. But there is always work to be done. Our at-bats are generally better and there were not so many stop signs in the lineup last few games."
 
The Midshipmen fell behind early in the game after UMBC scored a pair of two-out runs without notching a hit that left the infield in the first inning. 
 
Trailing 2-0 in the contest, Navy's offense came alive in the third inning with four runs on five hits. With the bases loaded, Biggers drove in the first run of the game with a single and then Evan Lowery (Jr., Williamsburg, Va.) drove in a pair of runs with a single right after to push the Midshipmen ahead, 3-2. Navy's third-straight base hit of the inning came from Christian Hodge (Sr., Winder, Ga.) as Navy grabbed a 4-2 lead over the Retrievers. 
 
The offense for the Midshipmen was just getting started as they scored a run in each of their final six at-bats including at least three runs during three of its at-bats. After falling behind by a pair of runs, Navy scored the next nine runs and never looked back.
 
In the fourth inning, Duffey scored his second run of the game on passed all to put Navy ahead by three. The Midshipmen followed with a three-run bottom of the fifth inning on four hits. Jacob Williamson (Jr., Sims, N.C.) had an RBI in the inning with a double down the left-field line and Williamson then scored on an infield single from Duffey after advancing to third base on a wild pitch. Despite being retired for the second out in the fifth inning, Biggers was able to bring home Duffey for the third time on the day with a sacrifice fly out to right field extending the Navy advantage to 8-2. 
 
After Hodge reached base in the home half of the sixth inning on an error, he came around to score Navy's second unearned run of the afternoon to balloon Navy's lead to seven runs. 
 
UMBC got back on the board in the seventh inning with a two-run double to bring the game back within five runs. However, the Midshipmen came right back with another three-run frame to take an eight-run lead. Hodge helped Navy reach double-digit runs with a run-scoring single to left field to score Coritz and two pitches later, Liam Lowery (Sr., Williamsburg, Va.) drove in Hodge and Evan Lowery with a two-RBI double down the line in left field. The Midshipmen scored their three runs on just the two hits in the bottom of the seventh inning to go ahead by a score of 12-4. 
 
During its final at-bat of the day, Biggers drove his third and final run of the game with a single out to left field allowing Coritz to score for the third time and giving Navy a 13-4 lead. Jack Ferguson (So., Atlanta, Ga.) sealed the 13-4 win for the Midshipmen after tossing a perfect ninth inning and recording a pair of strikeouts for Navy.
 
Making his collegiate debut, Colin Taeschner (Fr., Port Republic, Md.) earned the victory after allowing two runs -- one earned -- in his five-inning start. Taeschner (1-0) struck out 10 batters in his five innings allowing four hits and one walk. 
 
"He was a little shaky in the first inning, which is not unusual, but to come back and have 10 strikeouts in five innings of work was an impressive first outing from him [Colin Taeschner]," Kostacopoulos commented about his freshman pitcher.
 
Overall, Navy used five pitchers in the win compiling 15 strikeouts. The 15 strikeouts are tied for second most in a game this season for the Midshipmen after striking out 19 against Air Force and 15 against Gardner-Webb to start both weekends.
 
Frank Fraschetti (0-2) suffered the loss for the Retrievers after throwing the first 3-2/3 innings. He allowed five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits. 
 
Navy rounds out its nine-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Cornell. The Midshipmen host the Big Red for a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m., followed by the third and final game of the series on Sunday at noon.