NORFOLK, Va. - The
William and Mary baseball team dropped a 3-1 decision at Norfolk State
Wednesday evening. W&M's ninth
inning rally fell short as the Spartans held on for the victory. The loss dropped the College to 15-8 overall
while NSU improved to 6-12 on the season.
Senior left fielder Stephen Arcure and junior center fielder
Ryan Brown each went 2-for-4 to lead the Tribe's offensive attack. Freshman first baseman Michael Katz tallied
W&M's lone RBI in his 1-for-4 performance.
Rounding out the Tribe effort was sophomore Ryan Lindemuth, who finished
the afternoon tilt 1-for-4 with a run scored.
A total of six Tribe pitchers saw action against Norfolk
State. Sophomore RHP Matt Houston (1-1)
took the loss after replacing starter junior RHP Brett Goodloe in the
second. Junior RHP Brett Koehler worked
2.1 innings and was sharp, as he allowed no runs and no hits. Senior RHP Jay McCarthy pitched two scoreless
innings of relief, while junior closer RHP John Farrell saw an inning of
action.
The Spartans struck first with a run in the bottom half of
the third. Freshman shortstop Justin Lee
led the inning off with a single to right center field and scored when
sophomore designated hitter Cameron Day grounded out to third, giving the
Spartans an early 1-0 advantage. Moments
after NSU plated the first run of the contest an afternoon thunderstorm halted
play for the next two hours and 29 minutes.
Norfolk State extended its margin to 3-0 after scoring two
runs in the eighth. Lee once again led
the frame off with a single to center and scored the innings first run after
Day's single to left field. The Spartans
second run of the inning culminated when junior third baseman Ryan Montgomery
singled through the left side, driving home junior center fielder James Taylor.
Down to its last three outs, W&M mounted a rally in the
top of the ninth. Lindemuth led the top
half off with a double to right center field and advanced to third on Bower's
bunt single. With no outs and runners
on the corners, Katz drove home Lindemuth on a fielder's choice. Arcure kept the momentum alive after lacing a
single to right center field, which advanced Katz to third. With one out and runners on the corners, the
College was unable to plate the next two runs needed to tie the contest.
Tribe baseball returns to action Friday, March 23, as it
travels to Fairfax, Va., for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association clash
against the Patriots of George Mason.
Friday's game is set to get underway at 3 p.m. Fans can follow the action online at
TribeAthleitcs.com with live stats.
