Williamsburg, Va. - A bloop single in the ninth inning provided the difference as the William and Mary baseball team dropped a back-and-forth 7-6 game to visiting Delaware in the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon at Plumeri Park. W&M scored three runs in the sixth inning to erase a 6-3 deficit, but Delaware scored the game-winner with two outs in the top of the final frame. With the setback, W&M drops to 22-13 overall and 8-7 in CAA play, while Delaware evens its mark at 16-16 and improves to 9-6 in league action.

Senior Stephen Arcure provided an offensive boost for the Tribe, going 2-of-4 at the plate, while driving in three. Junior Kevin Nutter turned in a three-hit day and scored a run from the leadoff position. Senior Tadd Bower finished the afternoon with an RBI triple, while junior Ryan Williams hit his third home run of the season. Defensively, the Tribe turned in a season-high four double plays after coming into the game with 21 double plays in its opening 34 games.

Junior lefthander Matt Wainman pitched 4.2 innings for the Tribe, allowing three earned runs and striking out five. Williams (0-1) took the loss allowing one run in two innings of relief, while senior Chris Yates tossed 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out two. Delaware starter Chad Kuhl threw six innings, striking out nine batters, but allowed nine hits and six earned runs in the process. Stephen Richter (1-0) picked up the victory, holding the Tribe scoreless in 1.2 innings of work, while Devon Pearson earned his fifth save of the year in registering the final two outs of the contest.

Arcure helped the Tribe out of a jam in the top half of the first inning, before delivering a run-scoring hit in the bottom of the frame. After the first two batters of the game reached for Delaware, Jimmy Yezzo hit a low liner to right field that Arcure came in to make a nice catch, before firing to second to double off D.J. Long, who was running on the play.

In the home portion of the first, Nutter led off with a single up the middle and moved into scoring position on a Ryan Brown walk.  Arcure bounced a 2-1 pitch up the middle for a single and plated Nutter from second to give the Green and Gold the early 1-0 lead.

Williams extended the W&M margin to 2-0 with his third home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning. The Fairfax, Va., native roped the first offering he saw from Delaware starter Chad Kuhl off the scoreboard in left field for the round tripper

Delaware answered with three runs in the top of the third to take its first lead. Ty Warrington led off the inning with a homer to left field to put the Blue Hens on the scoreboard. With two outs and runners at the corners, Nick Ferdinand delivered a two-run double off the right field fence to score Brock Niggebrugge and Alex Marui, but was thrown out a third trying to stretch it into a triple. Both runs were unearned after Niggebrugge reached on a Tribe error.

Back-to-back extra-base hits from freshman Michael Katz and Bower tied the game at three in the bottom of the third. With a 3-0 count, Katz served a doubled into the left center field gap. Bower followed with a triple to nearly the same spot, bringing home Katz for the College's third run of the contest.

W&M got out of a jam in the top of the fourth as a Cameron Travalini put Blue Hens at second and third with no one out on a double to right field. Wainman struck out the next UD batter, before Warrington bunted one right back to the Tribe lefty. Wainman looked the runner back to third before throwing to first for the out. Tyler Powell started home from third, but was cut down as Katz fired to senior catcher Chris Forsten, who tagged out the Blue Hen runner up the line to end the threat.

Ferdinand delivered again for the Blue Hens with a single to left center field, bringing Long home from second and putting UD back on top 4-3 in the fifth. Tyler Powell followed with an RBI single of his own in the frame to push the Blue Hen lead to two. The visitors tacked on a run in sixth to extend its advantage to 6-3.  Niggebrugge provided the blow with a double down the third-base line to plate Ryan Hartley.

The Tribe pulled even with a three-spot in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a trio of two-out runs. Lindemuth led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, before freshman Josh Smith doubled just out of the reach of the UD right fielder to put runners on second and third for the Tribe. Forsten drew a walk to load the bases, before Brown coaxed a two-out walk to score the first W&M run of the inning. With the bases still packed, Arcure provided the big blow in the inning with a double just inside the third-base bag to bring home Smith and Forsten and tie the game at six.

The Tribe put runners in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings, but could not push a run across. In the top of the ninth, Yezzo drew leadoff walk and was replaced by pinch runner Joe Giacchino, who moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. Junior John Farrell came on to pitch for the College and got Ferdinand to ground out to third. After a intentional walk to a UD pinch hitter. Travalini fought off a two-strike pitch, blooping a single into short left field that plated Giacchino and gave the Blue Hens a 7-6 advantage.

W&M had an opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, but could not pull even. With one out, Lindemuth and senior pinch-hitter Sean Aiken drew walks to give the College a pair of base runners. A flyout to right field allowed Lindemuth to tag over to third and put runners at the corners with two outs. Forsten hit a slow roller between short and third that looked as though it was going to tie the game, but Ryan Hartley made a nice play field it and throw out the Tribe senior at first, ending the contest.

The Tribe returns to action with its final home game before a seven-game road trip on Tuesday, April 10. The College welcomes Richmond to Plumeri Park for a 7 p.m. start. Both live stats and live audio will be available for the Tribe-Spider matchup at TribeAthletics.com. Earlier this season, the Tribe won at Richmond, 9-5, on the strength two home runs, including a grand slam, from Michael Katz.