WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team opened weekend action with a close 3-2 lost against Saint Joseph's on Friday evening. The Tribe's first defeat at home puts them at 7-6 and the Hawks are now 1-10.
 
After manufacturing 19 runs on 10 hits in its previous outing against Virginia Tech, W&M struggled to string together a rally as the team finished with six hits and two runs versus Saint Joseph's. Redshirt sophomore Kyle Wrighte was the only player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 at the dish, while sophomore Hunter Smith recorded an RBI.
 
Both starting pitchers dominated in the early going to keep the contest scoreless through the first three innings. Senior Nick Brown came out firing for the Green & Gold as he tallied seven strikeouts in four innings. In each of those first four innings, Brown retired the side in order.
 
The Tribe answered first in the bottom of the fourth with a run on three hits and an error. With one out, junior Cullen Large smoked a single through the right side and advanced to second on a right field error. Smith followed suit with another single to plate Large and give W&M a 1-0 edge.
 
Nonetheless, the Hawks' bats came alive as well to push across a run behind three hits and an error in the fifth inning. After another strikeout from Brown, Cal Jadacki jacked a double to left center, before he was brought home thanks to a single up the middle.
 
The Hawks padded their lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Deaon Stafford, Jr., drew a one-out walk, before Charlie ConCannon hit a two-run homer to give SJU a 3-1 lead.
 
W&M wouldn't go away easy as they were down by two runs heading into the bottom of the third. Smith reached first on a throwing error by Marc Giacalone and advanced to second to lead off the frame. A grounder from freshman Brandon Raquet moved Smith to third, and senior Charles Ameer was hit by a pitch to put runners on each corner.
 
A throwing error by the catcher in an attempt to catch Ameer stealing second allowed Smith to reach home plate, narrowing the deficit to 3-2. With two outs, Kyle Wrighte singled to shortstop, which also advanced Ameer to third. However, sophomore Matthew Keane came in to pinch hit and flied out to center field to end the game.
 
Brown (1-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season despite posting a season-high 11 strikeouts. He also recorded three runs on six hits. Tim Brennan (1-2) earned the win after nearly tossing a complete game with 8.1 innings of work. Brennan fanned eight batters and gave up two runs on five hits. Lucas Rollins notched his first save behind 0.2 innings of relief and a strikeout.
 
The Tribe continue weekend play at home with the first of two games against Yale on Saturday at 4 p.m.