Williamsburg, Va. -
The
William and Mary Tribe baseball team couldn't climb out of an early nine-run
hole against the Georgia State Panthers on Senior Day at Plumeri Park, falling
to the visiting Panthers, 11-6, on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Tribe falls to 24-27 on
the season and to 14-13 in CAA play, while GSU improves to 35-17 on the year
and to 15-12 in conference action.
Offensively, junior Stephen Arcure
, who went 3-for-4 on the afternoon
with two RBIs while scoring two runs, led the Tribe. Classmate Chris Forsten
also had a pair of
knocks on the day, driving in one, while senior Jonathan Slattery
went 2-for-3
with two runs scored and a walk.
Sophomore Ryan Brown
reached base four times, collecting two hits, two
walks, and two stolen bases while junior Tadd Bower
and freshman Devin White
each had a RBI.
After a rough first two innings, the Tribe's pitching staff
settled in nicely. Sophomore Brett
Goodloe pitched three strong innings, allowing one earned runs and striking out
three, while classmate John Farrell
allowed one run and struck out four. Sophomore Brett Koehler
allowed just one hit
in his two innings of work, striking out three.
The Panthers wasted little time taking control of the game
on Saturday afternoon, exploding four five runs and six hits in the first
inning, chasing W&M starter Matt Wainman
after just 0.2 innings. Georgia State continued its onslaught in the
second, putting four more runs on the board to stake a 9-0 lead before the
Tribe could bat for the second time in the game.
In the bottom of the second, the Tribe got on the board for
the first time, scoring a pair of runs.
With one out, Slattery singled through the left side of the infield to
get on base for Arcure. On a 0-1
offering, Arcure blasted a triple down the right field line, scoring Slattery
from first. Next up was White, who
promptly singled to center to bring home Arcure, making the score 9-2 after two
complete.
After GSU scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Tribe
answered right back in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring one run in each
frame. In the fourth, the College scored
on a RBI single off the bat of Arcure, while in the fifth, the Tribe pushed
across a run on an infield single off the bat of Bower. After five innings, the score was 10-4 in
favor of Georgia State.
In the top of the seventh, the Panthers extended their lead
back to seven runs with a score, only to see the Tribe answer in the bottom of
the eighth.
After a leadoff walk to Slattery, Arcure slapped a single
through the right side to put runners on first and second. After a strikeout, pinch-hitter Kevin Nutter
drew a walk to load the bases for Forsten.
Swinging on the first pitch, Forsten flied out to deep center field,
scoring Slattery from third on the sacrifice fly. Next up was Brown, who singled to left to
score Arcure, making the score 11-6 for Georgia State.
Despite having its chances offensively, the Tribe was undone
on Saturday by double plays. The College
hit into four double plays on the afternoon, ruining rallies in the first,
third, fourth, and seventh innings. For
the day, the Tribe left eight runners on base.
Unable to get anything in the ninth, the Tribe fell to the Georgia State
Panthers, 11-6.
With the series loss to the Panthers, the Tribe will need
some help to get in to the four-team CAA Playoffs in two weeks. Check back with TribeAthletics.com on Monday
for the scenarios for the Tribe.
The William and Mary Tribe baseball team will next be in
action on Tuesday, May 17, when the College will travel to N.C. State to take
on the Wolfpack. First pitch is
scheduled for 6 p.m.
