RICHMOND, Va. – The William and Mary baseball team fell in a mid-week contest to in-state rival Richmond, 10-3, on the road on Tuesday afternoon. With the loss, the Tribe falls to 18-8 on the season, while Richmond improved 12-12-1 overall.
Junior Nick Thompson and freshman Tim Hoehn each finished the game 2-for-4 for the Tribe. Hoehn finished the game with a double and a RBI.
Richmond took an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tanner Stanley opened the inning with a walk, moving to second on a single from Tyler Beckwith. The following batter, Doug Kraeger doubled to the right field wall, scoring Stanley. The Spiders tacked on another run on an RBI groundout from Ryan Cook, giving Richmond a 2-0 advantage.
The Spiders added a run in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Adam Forrer singled through the right side, moving to second on a walk by Aaron Newman. After an out, Beckwith singled into center field, plating Forrer, giving Richmond a 3-0 lead.
Richmond continued to build its lead in the bottom of the third inning, adding two runs. Ryan Cook led off the inning with a single, coming around to score on a single by Kurtis Brown and a Tribe error. The final run of the frame came around to score on a two-out RBI groundout by Forrer, moving the lead to 5-0.
William and Mary got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Senior Kevin Nutter led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, moving to second on a stolen base, and to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Josh Smith roped a single into left field, scoring Nutter and cutting the Spider lead to 5-1.
The Spiders responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kraeger led off the inning with a single, moving to second on a stolen base. With two outs, Brown singled into center field, plating Kraeger. The rally continued with a single from Eric Flanagan. The next batter, Forrer tripled down the right field line, clearing the bases. Aaron Newman followed with a single, bringing in the ninth run of the game for the Spiders, making the score 9-1.
Richmond continued to stretch its lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Beckwith and Kraeger each reached to start the inning, moving to second and third on a wild pitch. With one out, Cook flew out to right field, but the ball was deep enough to score Beckwith on a sacrifice fly. The run made the score 10-1 Spiders.
The Tribe continued to battle and struck for two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Junior Michael Katz led off the inning with a double to the center field wall, moving to third on an infield single by Nutter. An errant pickoff throw allowed Katz to scamper home from third. The final run of the inning came around on a double by Hoehn, cutting the Spider lead to 10-3.
Richmond's starting pitcher Peter Bayer pitched seven innings, scattering six hits, two runs, and recorded four strikeouts. He was credited with his first win of the season. Sophomore Aaron Fernandez was charged with his first loss of the season, after making his first start of the season. Junior Andrew White pitched three scoreless innings for the Green and Gold allowing one hit and picking up two strikeouts.
William and Mary returns to action on Wednesday, April 2 when they travel to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion at 6:05 p.m. The Tribe returns home on Friday, April 4 with a start of a three-game, CAA series with UNCW. First pitch for that game is set for 7 p.m.
