Navy-Vegas Series and Fall Ball Conclude
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – Vegas rode a last-inning rally to a 3-2 victory on Thursday afternoon at Charles L. Cost Field, but fell in the series 12-9 to Navy as this year’s Navy-Vegas World Series concluded.
“I feel strongly that we have the personnel to compete this upcoming season,” said head coach Joe Jordano. “I think that we need to accomplish some things in the offseason that will solidify my thoughts. We have the personnel to do that, so I feel good where we’re at. I really liked some of our freshman. I was impressed with their talent level.”
Freshman Charles LeBlanc paced Navy offensively, going 3-for-8 in the series, scoring three runs, and driving in two more. Freshman Collin Liberatore logged perhaps the strongest effort on the mound for them, throwing three innings of no-hit ball with four strikeouts in game one.
For Vegas, redshirt junior Matt Emge led the way this week, going 3-for-7 with two doubles and two RBIs. Junior transfer Josh Falk was strong on the hill for them, firing two scoreless today and surrendering just one hit.
Navy extended its lead in the series immediately in game three, plating two runs in the top of the first. A misplayed ball off LeBlanc’s bat hit deep to left allowed redshirt junior Jacob Wright, who reached on a single, to take third. Both LeBlanc and Wright eventually scored thanks to a sac fly from senior Aaron Schnurbusch and an RBI groundout from senior Alex Kowalczyk.
Vegas answered with a run in the bottom of the third when freshman David Yanni and junior Nick Yarnall chalked up consecutive doubles.
The gold-clad squad wasn’t finished, adding two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and final inning to take the victory in today’s contest, 3-2. Started off by a double from freshman Yaya Chentouf, Vegas got two more walks and a hit from freshman Enrique Ferrer to plate their pair of runs, aided by a throwing error.
“The fall is really focused on team concepts and observing. Our bottom line philosophy is to identify weaknesses and identify strengths. That’s what we’re going to try to do in the next several weeks.”
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