BALTIMORE, Md. – The Navy baseball team (22-10) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end after suffering a 9-3 road loss against UMBC (13-11) on Wednesday night at Alumni Field.
 
Christian Hodge (Sr., Winder, Ga.) finished with two hits in the game, while Matt Wolff (Fr., Fishers, Ind.) drove in two runs with his first collegiate home run.
 
"Today was one of those days where UMBC found a rhythm out of their bullpen," head coach Paul Kostacopoulos commented after the game. "We struggled a little out of the bullpen with a couple of guys and they just beat us. They swung the bat, threw strikes, played good defense and it was just one of those games where they played better than we did."
 
Both teams came out swinging to start the game with six combined runs over the first two innings. Evan Lowery (Jr., Williamsburg, Va.) started the game with a double and two batters later, Zach Biggers (Jr., Walhalla, S.C.) drove him with a single to left-center field. With the 1-0 lead, Navy looked to increase its lead with runners at second and third base and just one out. However, back-to-back putouts stranded two Midshipmen in scoring position.
 
UMBC evened game right away with a leadoff home run from Terrence Pinkston. Using three-straight hits to start the bottom of the first inning, the Retrievers scored three runs on four hits in the frame to grab a 3-1 lead after the inning.
 
Navy answered back in the next half inning with Wolff hitting his first collegiate home run and bringing in two runs to tie the game at three. Colin Taeschner (Fr., Port Republic, Md.) retired two-straight Retrievers to start the second inning, but UMBC loaded the bases with two outs. Taeschner got of the jam without allowing a run and stranding three runners on base to keep the game tied, 3-3, heading into the third inning.
 
In the bottom of the third inning, UMBC got a run back with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to grab a 4-3 lead through the first third of the contest. The Retrievers broke the game open with two outs in the fourth inning. A three-RBI double followed by bloop single down the right-field line gave UMBC an 8-3 advantage. 
 
The Retrievers increased its lead to 9-3 with two outs in the sixth inning on a pair of hits in the inning.
 
After recording five hits over the first two innings, the Midshipmen's offense quieted down and had just one hit in the fourth inning and another hit in the sixth inning as Navy dropped a 9-3 decision on the road. 
 
In the start, Taeschner went two innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Jack Ferguson (So., Atlanta, Ga.) slipped to 1-2 after suffering the loss on Wednesday. Ferguson allowed five runs on five walks and four hits.
 
Greg Albert (1-0) picked up the win after allowing just one hit and no runs in three innings of work out of the bullpen. 
 
Navy returns home on Saturday at 2 p.m. to start a three-game series against Holy Cross.