EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Navy (15-18, 6-9 Patriot League) offense continued its torrid pace at the plate Wednesday recording 13 runs on 10 hits, which included a season-high three home runs, en route to a 13-10 victory over Mount St. Mary's (9-18, 4-5 NEC) Wednesday at the Mountaineers' E.T. Straw Family Stadium. With the win, head coach Paul Kostacopoulos eclipsed 1,000 career victories to become just the 19th active head coach, 92nd all-time, across all divisions to accomplish the milestone. 
 
"I'm just very thankful, I've been able to be in the game for a while," said Kostacopoulos on reaching 1,000 career wins. "I've been fortunate to have great assistant coaches, there's a list of them that have gone on to do some really great things. Certainly, the players, they sacrifice everything. They come out and play the game and have been so important over the years. I'm kind of reflecting back now on all the guys I've coached over the years and it's pretty amazing. What they do, how they go about playing the game, it really is amazing.
 
"The final thing I want to mention is the people I've worked with, especially the people here at Navy, have been tremendous. Our athletic department, Chet Gladchuk, has been incredibly supportive through the good times and the bad. Just being tremendous people to work with. I've been really, really lucky to work at two great institutions in Providence College and the University of Maine, but the Naval Academy to me is number one. I can't see myself being anywhere else but at Navy, I couldn't see myself being anywhere else. To have been at three schools that I think highly of, and being at the place that I consider to be my dream job, it's pretty nice to get to 1,000 wins with that program."
 
The 13-run effort on offense secured the third-straight win by the Midshipmen, along with being their third-consecutive scoring effort of 13 runs or more. Navy last scored 13 or more runs in three-straight victories during the 2000 season.
 
"I just think it's all the guys are blending well, when you score a lot of runs it's never going to be just one or two guys," said Kostacopoulos on the effort of the offense. "Six, seven, eight or nine people are going to have to put together good at-bats and that's what we've been able to do over the last few games."
 
The trio of Nick Burch (Jr., Hollywood, Md.), Eduardo Diaz (So., Miami, Fla.) and Logan Keller (So., Longwood, Fla.) each hit a home run to lead the aforementioned effort of the Navy offense. Burch and Keller each finished the day with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, while Diaz went 1-for-4 with his second home run in three games. Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) added a 2-for-5 outing at the plate with a triple and two RBIs, while Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.) walked three times and drove in a run to highlight a 1-for-2 showing.
 
"It certainly helps to take one swing and get a run, it's not typical of us, but when we can get three home runs in a game we are going to take it," Kostacopoulos remarked on the three home runs by Burch, Diaz and Keller. "We've just been on the ball better over the last week or so."
 
The Mids used six pitchers against Mount St. Mary's Wednesday, with Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.) proving to be the most effective amongst the ground. The sophomore earned his third win of the season after allowing just one unearned run on one hit over two innings of work. Jorgenson (3-0) was followed by Landon Kruer (Fr., Sellersburg, Ind.), who notched his fifth save of the season by working around two walks with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
 
"Nolan (Jorgenson) has been just been tremendous," continued Kostacopoulos on the effort of the sophomore. "He is reliable and always has confidence when he goes into the ball game. Coach Trap (Mike Trapasso) has done a great job in picking the right spots to use him because when he goes in he gets outs for us. He has been tremendous for us all season."
 
After scoring a combined 33 runs on 34 hits over its final two games against Holy Cross last time out, the Navy offense picked up where it left off in the first inning against Mount St. Mary's. The Midshipmen jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first, opening the scoring on an Alex Smith infield single that scored reigning Patriot League Player of the Week Colin Smith (Jr., Wilmington, Del.).
 
Following a sacrifice fly by Zach Stevens (Sr., Lexington, Mass.) one batter later, the highlight of the frame occurred as Diaz and Burch hit back-to-back home runs that extended the Navy advantage to 6-0 over The Mount. The Midshipmen continued to add to their lead in the top of the second, taking a 7-0 lead as Policelli laced a single down the left-field line that scored Zane Raba (So., San Antonio, Texas) from second.
 
However, the seven-run advantage would quickly be reduced to just three as Mount St. Mary's responded with four runs on five hits in the home half of the second, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Brady Drawbaugh that forced Navy starting pitcher Colin Jones (Sr., Collierville, Tenn.) from the game in favor of Zach Ward (So., Mokena, Ill.).
 
After Ward worked out of the second without further damage, the Mids took back a run in the third as Raba sent a lined single to center field that scored Diaz to take a four-run lead, prior to posting another four runs on two hits in the fourth to extend the Navy lead to eight at 12-4. Keller and Alex Smith highlighted the breakout frame for the Mids, as Keller sent a long fly over the left-field wall and Alex Smith produced an RBI triple.
 
Despite the rally from the offense to give Navy its largest lead of the day at eight runs, the Mountaineers produced a rally of their own over the next three innings. Mount St. Mary's scored six runs over the next three innings, highlighted by a three-run, five-hit fifth inning, to cut the Mids' lead to just three runs entering the top of the eighth.
 
The Navy offense was held without a response over the three-inning rally by The Mount, as the duo of Derek Huff and Isaac Van Meter combined to allow just one run on two hits while striking out four batters over four innings of work.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Navy pitching staff put a stop to the comeback attempt by the Mountaineers, as Jorgenson retired the side in order before giving way to Kruer for the ninth. After issuing a pair of walks to lead off the inning, Kruer settled in to retire each of the next three batters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts that secured a 13-10 decision in favor of the Midshipmen.
 
Drawbaugh led the way for the Mountaineers at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Tyler Long added a 1-for-3 showing at the dish, including a home run, an RBI and a run scored. Danny Salisbury (0-1) took the loss on the mound after allowing six runs on three hits in his lone inning of work.
 
UP NEXT
Following its three-run win over Mount St. Mary's, Navy is scheduled to return to Patriot League play Saturday as it opens a three-game series against Lehigh. First pitch of game one from Max Bishop Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.