ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy baseball team (17-20, 8-11 Patriot League) suffered an 11-1 setback to Bucknell (16-19, 12-7 Patriot League) Wednesday afternoon at Max Bishop Stadium. The Midshipmen were limited to just one run on four hits, while the Bison offense scored seven runs over the final four innings to highlight an 11-run, 10-hit effort.
 
"Honestly, I think all four guys that threw for us tonight gave us what they had," said head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "We were pretty thin and they hung in there and gave us what they had. It wasn't just pitching, we didn't swing the bat very well either. We got beat on both ends today and that's pretty much the story."
 
Navy was not without opportunities on offense, stranding 11 runners on base in the midweek contest. The quartet of Kiel Brenczewski (Jr., Fishers, Ind.), Eduardo Diaz (So., Miami, Fla.), Logan Keller (So., Longwood, Fla.) and Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) each tallied a hit, while Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.) brought home the lone run of the day for the Mids on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
 
"On offense, it seemed like it was just baseball that got us tonight," remarked Kostacopoulos on the one-run, four-hit effort. "You start stacking up a lot of games and sometimes there is one in there where you aren't right on the baseball. We've got to get back at it with a big series coming up this weekend."
 
Zach Powers (So., Centreville, Md.) made his first start of the year for the Midshipmen on Wednesday, taking the loss despite allowing just one run on one hit over 2.2 innings of work. The sophomore also walked four batters and struck out one in his outing. The sophomore then gave way to the trio of Thomas Russell (Jr., Fairfax, Va.), Tanner Wade (Fr., Fayetteville, Ark.) and Owen Beisty (Fr., Wayne, Pa.) in relief.
 
Russell allowed seven runs on six hits over 2.1 innings, prior to Wade taking over in the top of the sixth. The freshman left-hander yielded three runs on three hits in his three-frame outing, before Beisty retired each of the three batters he faced in the top of the ninth.
 
After a scoreless first inning, Bucknell broke through for the first run of the day in the top of the second as Sean Keys brought home Jacob Corson on a sacrifice fly. In spite of the early strike by the Bison, Powers (0-1) was able to work out of the frame without further damage, forcing Anthony Sherwin to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat.
 
Despite the effort by Powers to work out of the jam, the Navy offense was left without a response as Bison starting pitcher Ben Magovern (2-5) retired six of the next seven batters he faced to maintain the one-run advantage for Bucknell.
 
On the back of the effort by Magovern, Bucknell added to its lead in the top of the fourth with another three runs on three hits that included a two-RBI single by Corson. The four-run advantage would hold for the Bison until the bottom of the fifth, as Navy took advantage of a walk and three hit by pitches to cut the BU lead to 4-1 on a sacrifice fly by Policelli.
 
However, Bucknell extinguished the rally attempt by the Midshipmen over the next four innings, scoring seven runs on six hits to take an 11-1 lead it wouldn't relinquish in the midweek victory over the Midshipmen.
 
"We just have to do a better job in our preparation and make sure our at-bats stay solid," said Kostacopoulos in regard to preparing for the upcoming series against Army. "Physically, the bounce-back isn't something that's really indicative at this point in the year, it's just about getting our minds right and ready to play."
 
Corson led the way for the Bison on offense, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, two walks and three RBIs. Chris Cannizzaro and Grant Voytovich also finished with three RBIs on the afternoon, while Kyle Lyons went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Magovern picked up his second win following a one-run, three-hit effort over six innings, while Graeme Carroll and Nikhil Patel combined to allow just one hit over the final three innings in relief.
 
UP NEXT
Navy is slated to return to action Saturday as it travels to West Point to open a pivotal three-game series against Army. The three-game set is part of the annual Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA, and will feature a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a single game on Sunday. First pitch on both days is scheduled for 1 p.m. with all three games being streamed on ESPN+.