May 4, 2008

Game One Box Score (New York Tech 4, Navy 2)
Game Two Box Score (Navy 2, New York Tech 0)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy southpaw starting pitcher Yale Eckert (So./La Selva Beach, Calif.) fired a four-hit shutout in game two to lead the Midshipmen to a baseball doubleheader split against New York Tech on Sunday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids won the nightcap, 2-0, after they dropped the opener, 4-2.

Navy concluded its regular season with a 30-22-1 mark, representing its third-consecutive - all under the guidance of head coach Paul Kostacopoulos - and the sixth 30-win season in the program's 113-year history. New York Tech saw its record go to 15-24-2 following Sunday's action.

"Going into the year, reaching 30 wins was certainly one of the goals for our program," stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "It's certainly not easy, given the length of the season. You have to do many good things to get to that mark."

Eckert threw just 77 pitches over seven innings of work to improve to 2-5 on the year. He allowed only one walk and struck out four in facing just four batters over the minimum. The Navy southpaw had only one base runner reach scoring position on the entire day - a two-out double in the sixth.

Eckert became just the 14th pitcher in school history to post a pair of shutouts in the same season. Earlier this year on March 10, he delivered a one-hit shutout performance against Iona in Annapolis.

"Yale was in control all day," said Kostacopoulos. "Not allowing a runner to reach third over seven innings really says it all. He had four pitches that he could throw for strikes and did not make any mistakes out over the plate."

Both teams were held off the scoreboard in game two over the first-four innings, before Navy took advantage in the fifth. Jeff Bland (Fr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) led off the frame with a double to right-center. After a groundout moved Bland to third, New York Tech starter Eric Johnson issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Johnson would then plunk Mike Guadagnini (Fr./Virginia Beach, Va.) to bring in the first run of the game. Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0.

Bland led Navy's offense with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate with a walk and a run scored. The Midshipmen managed just three hits as a team, but drew six walks.

"Bland had a good day. He is certainly getting better at the plate," stated Kostacopoulos. "It is something that you hope to see at the end of the year with a freshman."

In the opener, New York Tech jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first before Navy would knot the ballgame in the third. Steven Soares (So./Coral Springs, Fla.) led off with a single down the left-field line, advanced to second on a sacrifice and moved to third on a Guadagnini single up the middle. Following a walk to load the bases, Soares came home to score on a RBI-groundout to second by Hamilton.

The game would not remain tied for long, as the Bears answered with a three-spot in the fourth and led for the rest of the contest.

The Midshipmen would make things interesting in the ninth, as Bland came off the bench and smacked a pinch-double to right. After a groundout, Jonathan Wright (Fr./Arden, N.C.) singled to put runners on the corners. Hamilton laced a run-scoring single to right to pull the hosts within two at 4-2, but New York Tech starter Andrew Guarrasi induced a groundball double play to end the game.

Guadagnini, Wright, Hamilton and Soares each had a pair of base knocks to lead the offense. The Midshipmen out-hit the Bears, 10-8.

Navy starter Mark McCoy (Sr./Parkland, Fla.) was tagged for the loss, as he allowed seven hits and four runs over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts. His record dropped to 5-4 on the year.

Navy, the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, will play host to third-seeded Holy Cross in a best-of-three semifinal series next weekend in Annapolis. The two teams will play a pair of nine-inning contest on Saturday, starting at 12 noon, and will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 12 noon, if necessary. The Midshipmen went 3-1 against the Crusaders last weekend in Annapolis. Live stats for all of Navy's home games are available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)