ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy (9-1) has won its last nine games after sweeping a doubleheader against Massachusetts (1-5) on Sunday afternoon to complete the series sweep. The Midshipmen won the first half of the doubleheader 4-2 and then rolled to a 17-5 win in game two at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Alex Smith (Fr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) led Navy on offense on Sunday after going 5-for-7 with six RBIs. Five of Alex Smith's six RBIs came in game two after going 4-for-5 at the dish. In the second half of the doubleheader, six different hitters recorded multi-hit games for the Midshipmen.
 
"It is a little bit of everything," head coach Paul Kostacopoulos said about his team's winning streak. "We seem to be getting some timely hits, getting the outs we need and when we need them. Our guys have hung in there and done a good job. We are getting it from some different areas and I think that has kept us going.
 
"I think one of the most difficult things in baseball is to score early, get a good lead and not shut the engine down," Kostacopoulos said about his team being able to create separation late in games. "That is what I told the guys at the end of the game, I was most happy that we kept going. We had a couple of innings where we did not score but we kept getting one or two runs and then we had a big five-run inning, so I thought that was really good to see. We got eight runs after two innings and you can kind of shut it down and I do not think we did that so that is a solid sign."
 
Navy 4, Massachusetts 2
 
Navy got off to a strong start on Sunday and scored two runs in the first inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Zach Biggers (Sr., Walhalla, S.C.) scored the first of the game on a wild pitch and then Alex Smith drove in his first run of the day with a sacrifice fly out to right field.
 
With the Midshipmen holding a 2-0 lead, the Minutemen got right back in the game with one swing after Nolan Kessinger homered down the right-field line to tie the score at two in the third inning. However, the game did not stay tied for long as Alex Smith tripled to right field with one out in the bottom of the third inning. Right after the triple, Evan Lowery (Sr., Williamsburg, Va.) drove in Alex Smith with a sacrifice fly to left field to push Navy back ahead, 3-2.
 
In the seven-inning game one, the Midshipmen added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Colin Smith (Fr., Wilmington, Del.) started the inning with a single and then he moved up to the second base on a sacrifice bunt from Joe Simourian (So., Andover, Mass.). Then with two outs in the frame, Nico Valdez (So., Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) singled to centerfield to score Colin Smith to regain the two-run edge for Navy.
 
Still trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Massachusetts got a one-out single but Trey Braithwaite (Jr., Winchester, Va.) came in and retired the next two batters on just three pitches to secure the 4-2 win for the Midshipmen.
 
Colin Jones (So., Collierville, Tenn.) picked up the win after tossing 3-1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Tommy Goodridge (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) went three innings in the start and allowed two runs on two hits while striking out three and walking three.
 
Ben Shields was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in his four-inning start.
 
Navy 17, Massachusetts 5
 
Navy continued its strong starts to games with four runs in the first inning followed by four runs in the second inning to take an early 8-0 lead over the Minutemen in the series finale. Christian Policelli (So., Walkersville, Md.) drove in the first run of the game for the Midshipmen with a single up the middle and then Lowery gave Navy the two-run lead with a single to right field as Biggers and Michael Coritz (Sr., Clifton, Va.) scored the first two runs of the game for the Midshipmen. Policelli came across to score on a wild pitch and then Kiel Brenczewski (Fr., Fishers, Ind.) pushed Navy ahead by four runs with an RBI ground out.
 
In the second inning, Navy collected four hits to score its four runs to go along with three walks. Coritz had the lone extra-base hit of the frame with an RBI double and then Alex Smith drove Coritz in with a single out to centerfield. On a walk that loaded the bases, Policelli gave Navy a 7-0 lead after scoring on a dropped catch by the Massachusetts third basemen and then Alex Smith scored on a wild pitch to end the Navy scoring in the second inning. 
 
The Midshipmen tacked on a run in the fourth inning on an RBI single from Lowery and after the Minutemen scored twice in the fifth, Navy answered with a five-run home half of the inning. Policelli and Alex Smith both sparked the inning with a pair of two-RBI hits. 
 
Trailing 14-2, Massachusetts cut into their deficit with two runs in the seventh and then another run in the ninth but Navy kept the game out of reach with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. After Brenczewski scored on a wild pitch, Alex Smith delivered his final hit and final two RBIs of the day with a double down the right-field line as Navy went on to beat the Minutemen in a 17-5 contest to complete the weekend sweep.
 
Reece Early (Fr., Reisterstown, Md.) got the start for the Midshipmen and went three innings allowing five hits and no runs. Out of the bullpen, Trent Topping (So., Temecula, Calif.) notched his first win of the season after throwing 1-1/3 innings allowing just one walk and no hits or runs. As a staff, Navy struck out eight batters in game two and walked just two.
 
Jack Steele suffered the loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits in 1-1/3 innings to start.
 
The Midshipmen are back at home on Friday afternoon for a 4 p.m. contest against Penn State at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.