HARRISONBURG, Va. – Three William & Mary pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout as the W&M baseball team took the rubber game of three-game series at James Madison 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Tribe improves to 17-18, 6-5 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while the Dukes drop to 15-21, 5-7 in league action.
 
Junior Dan Powers turned in a career-high 7.1 innings allowing just four hits, while he fanned three.  He was credited with his team-best fifth victory of the season. It is the second time this season the Tribe has combined for a shutout, and both have come during Powers' starts.
 
Offensively, freshman Hunter Smith led the Tribe with a pair of hits and an RBI. Junior Charles Ameer was credited with W&M's first RBI, while senior Charley Gould and sophomore Ryan Hall each doubled.
 
William & Mary scored the game's first run in the top of the fourth inning. Gould started the frame by getting hit by a pitch, before junior Ryder Miconi singled. After a groundout moved the runners up 90 feet, Ameer sent a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Green and Gold a 1-0 advantage.
 
The Tribe doubled its lead with a run in the top of the eighth inning. Gould led off the inning with a double to left center field, moving to third when Miconi reached on an error. Hunter Smith followed with a single through the left side, plating Gould from third. 
 
James Madison's best two chances to score came in the third and eighth inning. In the third, JMU loaded the bases with two outs, but Powers got Zach Tondi to line to second base. Then in the eighth with runners on second and third, sophomore Robert White got Adam Sisk to ground to second, ending the threat.
 
Robert White got the final two outs of the eighth inning for the Green and Gold. Senior Joseph Gaouette came on and pitched a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout for his sixth save of the season. The save brings him within one career save of tying the school record of 14 career saves.
 
Brandon Withers took the hard luck loss for the Dukes. He tossed 6.2 innings allowing just one run on four hits, while he struck out nine Tribe batters. No JMU player recorded more than one hit in the game.
 
The Green and Gold continues its seven-game road swing with a pair of mid-week games this week. W&M will head to Norfolk State on Tuesday, April 19, before heading to nationally ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, April 20. First pitches are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.