Feb. 21, 2015 Final Stats
KINSTON, N.C. - A seven inning contest wound up taking ten innings as sophomore pitcher Jesse Stinnett (Madison Heights, Va.) and junior pitcher J.P. Black (Elkton, Md.) battled tough to hold Navy at bay until the Hawks mustered three runs to win the first game of a doubleheader, 3-0, in Kinston, North Carolina earlier today. A Midshipmen pitcher returned the favor in game two, holding the Hawks offense while Navy earned a 5-0 victory to force a series split.
From the onset, Stinnett had to handle the pressure of Navy runners on base, and he handled it well from start to finish. In the first inning, Navy registered two singles and advanced a runner to third, but a fielder's choice stymied the Mids. The following inning, Stinnett retired center fielder Robert Currie on strikes with two runners in scoring position. A groundout back to the pitcher in the fifth inning retired Navy again, this time with the bases loaded. Another strikeout left the bases loaded for a second time in the seventh.
Despite giving up ten hits and throwing 124 pitches, Stinnett battled enough to keep the Naval Academy off the scoreboard and keep the game at 0-0. Along the way he struck out four while walking just two. Navy starter Luke Gillingham matched the Hawks hurler, and then some, giving up one hit and striking out 14 over that same span.
Black relieved Stinnett and managed to hold Navy scoreless for two more innings before the UMES offense broke thru in the top of the 10th. Senior Greg Turlik (Gaithersburg, Md.) worked the full count and eventually drew a walk. Freshman Quenton Hamrick (New Castle, Del.) followed with a single and junior Connor Breslin (Saylorsburg, Pa.) reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. That would bring up freshman Jamison Trower (Chesterfield, Va.), eager to register his first collegiate hit. With the count 1-2, Trower ripped a double down the left field line, scoring Turlik and Hamrick. He would later score on a passed ball to increase the Hawks lead to 3-0.
Junior Devin Repine (Salisbury, Md.) came on to earn the save and seal the victory. After giving up a single and a walk, he would induce a double play to give the Hawks its first win of the young season.
In Game two, UMES looked to senior Jordan Bone (Pittston, Pa.) as they attempted to sweep the Midshipmen. He would hold Navy scoreless in the first two frames, but a four run, five hit deluge in the third gave the Mids a 4-0 lead.
Bone would settle in once more to pitch two more innings, and four fellow Hawks-freshman Toby Hoskins (North East, Md.), junior Will Turley (Greensboro, Md.), sophomore Kameron Raison (Newark, Del.) and senior Michael Epps (Pottstown, Pa.), surrendered just one run and two hits over the remaining three innings.
However, Navy's two pitchers in starter Stephen Moore and reliever Kyle Condry proved too much for the Hawks, giving up just one base hit and striking out 11 as the Midshipmen drew even in the series.
In addition to the Hawks' tenth inning rally in game one, senior Joshua James (Milford, Del.) and sophomores Justin Dattilo (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Troy Anderson (Bridgeport, W.Va.) each collected hits for UMES. Black earned the win in the first game, while Bone took the loss in game two.
The rubber game in this three game series will be held at noon at Kinston High School. Junior Tanner Whiteman (Cazenovia, N.Y.) is scheduled to start for UMES while George Coughlin will start for Navy.
