SALISBURY, Md. – After rallying with a run in the eighth to tie the game, Logan Keller (So., Longwood, Fla.) completed the Navy baseball team's (9-11, 1-3 Patriot League) comeback over Maryland Eastern Shore (3-14, 2-2 MEAC) with a two-RBI double of the center-field wall in the ninth, giving the Mids a 7-5 lead they wouldn't relinquish in a two-run decision over the Shore Hawks Tuesday at Perdue Stadium.
 
The Midshipmen offense posted seven runs on 10 hits against UMES pitching, marking their fourth double-digit hit effort of the season. Keller paced the aforementioned effort by Navy at the plate, going 2-for-4 with the go-ahead, two-run double and a game-high four RBI.
 
Zane Raba (So., San Antonio, Texas) led off the game with his second home run of the season, highlighting a multi-hit effort from the sophomore, while Zach Stevens (Sr., Lexington, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and two RBI.
 
With his solo shot against UMES, Stevens moved into sole possession of 12th place on Navy's all-time home run leaders list with 13 career home runs. Additionally, despite seeing his seven-game hit streak be snapped on Tuesday, Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.) extended his on-base streak to 10-consecutive games.
 
On the mound, Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.) earned the second win of his collegiate career, pitching the final 2.2 innings for the Mids out of the bullpen. The sophomore didn't allow a hit in his two-plus innings of work, in addition to striking out a pair of batters.
 
"I thought today was a good baseball game, we did something that's been really hard for us over the last two or three weeks," said head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We got a couple really big hits, couple clutch hits right at the right time. Logan Keller had a two of them, Ivan (Aguirre) got us going in the ninth and Alex Smith was on the ball all day today. You get one in the eighth to tie it, two in the ninth to go ahead and then a 1-2-3 inning to close it out. We did a good job today, I thought it was a complete team effort."
 
The Midshipmen bats started Tuesday's contest with a bang, as Raba homered on the third pitch of the game, giving Navy an early 1-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the frame, UMES evened the score on a one-out infield single.
 
Thomas Russell (Jr., Fairfax, Va.), the Mids' starting pitcher, was able to work out of the frame without further damage, leading to Navy retaking the lead, 2-1, in the second as Stevens send a long drive over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season.
 
The Midshipmen advantage would quickly expand to 4-1 in the third, as Keller laced a two-run single through the left side, scoring Raba and Eduardo Diaz (So., Miami, Fla.). In the home half of the third, the Shore Hawks reduced the Navy advantage to two runs on a sacrifice fly, prior to loading the bases against Russell with two outs.
 
The junior right hander was lifted from the contest in favor of Zach Ward (So., Mokena, Ill.), who worked out of the bases-loaded, two-out jam with a strikeout to end the frame. Ward went on to pitch a clean fourth inning, working around back-to-back one-out singles, before yielding a run in the fifth to cut the Midshipmen lead back to a run at 4-3.
 
UMES completed its comeback in the seventh, scoring two runs on three hits against Trent Topping (Sr., Temecula, Calif.) to take its first lead of the day, 5-4. Navy threatened to extend its lead throughout the middle innings, but combined to strand four runners on base after its two-run third.
 
In need of a rally entering the eighth, Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) laced a one-out double into the left-center field gap, before Stevens lined a single into center field that brought home Smith to tie the game.
 
After retiring the final two batters of the seventh, and extinguishing any further threat from the Shore Hawks, Jorgenson (1-0) retired three of the four batters he faced in the eighth to maintain the tie heading into the top of the ninth.
 
"Nolan (Jorgenson) did a great job of getting us out of the jam there," Kostacopoulos remarked. "If there score a couple more runs there, it becomes really tough for us. Really was a pivotal point in the game for us there, he picked us up."
 
In the ninth, newcomer Ivan Aguirre (Fr., Temple City, Calif.) opened the frame with a booming double, before moving to third on a wild pitch to set up the Mids with the go-ahead run on third and just one out. The next batter, Diaz, earned a walk to put runners on first and third, before a pop out left Navy just one opportunity to push across the go-ahead run.
 
Keller took advantage of the two-out opportunity, lining a two-run double off the center-field wall to put the Midshipmen back in the lead at 7-5. The two-run decision would be secured in favor of the Mids in the bottom of the inning, as Jorgenson retired the side in order to lock down his first win of the season, and the ninth victory of the year for Navy.  
 
Brantley Cutler led the way for UMES at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Davis (0-1) took his first loss of the season for the Shore Hawks, allowing two runs on two hits in the ninth.
 
UP NEXT
Following its win over Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday, Navy is slated to return to action Saturday as it welcomes Holy Cross to Max Bishop Stadium for a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m. Following their contests against the Crusaders, the Midshipmen are set to play a home doubleheader against rival Army on Sunday, with first pitch of game one set for 2 p.m.