Navy Fails to Hold Lead, Rallies to Tie New York Tech, 9-9 :: The Midshipmen tied the game in the 10th inning after allowing seven unanswered runs

The Midshipmen tied the game in the 10th inning after allowing seven unanswered runs

May 3, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team surrendered an 8-2 lead going into the eighth inning and trailed by one in the tenth, but came back with two outs to tie New York Tech, 9-9, in 10 innings on Saturday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The game was called due to darkness and will be recorded as a tie.

The Midshipmen (29-21-1) held a six-run cushion going into the eighth, but New York Tech's (14-23-2) offense awakened for four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to force extra innings. Navy short-relief specialist JD Melton (So./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) came on in the ninth and allowed three-consecutive base hits and a fielder's choice to load the bases and allow one run to score. Melton settled in and got back-to-back infield popouts to put the Mids one out away from victory. However, a slow roller up the middle was able to bring the game-tying run across the plate.

One inning later, Melton got the first-two outs before surrendering a triple to Denten Neill. After a walk, Melton threw one in the dirt that Navy catcher Jeff Bland (Fr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) was partially able to block and the ball scooted about 20 feet away from Bland. Neill, who got a late read on the ball, decided to come home and Bland's toss to a covering Melton went over his head and allowed the Bears to take their first lead of the game, 9-8.

The Midshipmen would not fade away in the bottom half of the tenth. New York Tech reliever Louie Bernardi, who came in during the fifth inning, got the first-two outs of the frame before Navy made its rally. Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) singled to center and was pinch-run for by Matt Sweisthal (So./Spring, Texas). Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) legged out an infield single to short, before Kendall Bolt (So./Stockton, Calif.) singled through the left side to allow Sweisthal to come around third and beat the throw at home.

"Being up 8-2, we needed to make a couple more plays defensively and, to New York Tech's credit, they really put on some good swings late in the game," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "As long as the opponent has an at bat, they have a chance. There's no time limit in baseball.

"It was gutsy in a way for us, being able to bounce back after they took the lead. Everything went our way early on, to then being down and then finding a way back to tie and have a chance to win the game was something good to take away from today."

Navy jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings. Hamilton laced a RBI-double down the right-field line in the first and Speciale delivered a run-scoring single in the third.

New York Tech responded with a pair of runs in the fifth, but the game would not remain tied for long, as the Midshipmen posted a five-spot in the bottom half of the stanza. The big hit of the inning would come off the bat of Bill Maugeri (Sr./Edgewater, Md.), as he smacked a two-run triple to the gap in right-center.

The Mids would extend their cushion to 8-2 with a Bland RBI-single to left.

Navy's third through seven hitters combined to go 13-for-25 (.520) in Saturday's contest. Hamilton, Speciale and Maugeri each collected three hits and scored once, while Bolt and Bland both produced two base knocks and two RBIs. Navy and New York Tech each tallied 14 hits.

"You always need the middle of the lineup to produce and they certainly did that today," said Kostacopoulos. "Michael (Speciale) was right on the ball and Kendall (Bolt) hit the ball hard all-six times he came to the plate."

Starting pitcher Oliver Drake (So./Gardner, Mass.) fired five innings of two-run, six-hit baseball with no walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches, 51 of which were strikes.

"Oliver gave us five solid innings today," stated Kostacopoulos. "That was the plan with him coming into today. He came on with a little bit of shortened rest having pitched last Sunday, but he was able to get in line for next Saturday."

Navy and New York Tech will close out the three-game series with an 11 a.m. doubleheader tomorrow. Live stats for all of Navy's home games are available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)