The Navy baseball team opened their 2023 season with a doubleheader against UMass on Saturday, but unfortunately, the Midshipmen dropped both games at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
Senior captain Nate Mitchell pitched a stellar five innings in the first game, registering seven career strikeouts. However, UMass rallied late in the game with a pair of extra-base hits, earning a 4-2 victory.
Despite two hits from senior Alex Smith and a two-run third inning from the Mids, UMass completed the comeback in the sixth inning. Navy’s Nolan Jorgenson lost after giving up three hits and two runs in his one inning of work.
In the second game, UMass took advantage of six Navy errors and exploded for 14 runs on 14 hits, clinching a 14-3 win. Navy’s Matthew Shirah lost after allowing four runs on four hits and five walks in three innings.
Although Navy’s Henry Mitchell had a strong collegiate debut, hitting a pinch-hit double to score Logan Keller and a two-run single from Hudson Lehnertz, it wasn’t enough to overcome UMass’s dominant performance.
Despite the disappointing results, Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos remained optimistic about his team’s future. “There’s too many games in the season, and in less than 12 hours we’ll be back on the field again. We’ve got to shake today off, get back, and play better baseball,” he said.
