CAREY, N.C. – The William & Mary baseball team edged Rhode Island, 2-1, to win the pitcher's duel and complete a three-game sweep of competition at the Irish Classic on Sunday afternoon. With its third straight victory, the Tribe improves to 6-4, while the Rams fall to 5-6.
 
Redshirt sophomore Nick Raquet fanned five batters through the first two innings and senior Daniel Powers followed with another five strikeouts and one run on four hits in 4.2 innings.
 
Junior Charlie Fletcher earned his first win of the season after holding Rhode Island to one hit in 1.1 innings of work. Junior Robert White collected his second save of the year with a strikeout during the final frame.
 
Junior Ryan Hall and sophomore Hunter Smith paced the Tribe offense with two hit apiece. Hall finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run, while Smith went 2-for-4 and provided the game-winning RBI. Junior Cullen Large added a double and an RBI as well.
 
Both offenses struggled to put a run on the board until Rhode Island struck first in the bottom of the sixth inning. After an out, Chris Hess hit a single and then stole second. Matt O'Neil followed up with an RBI single, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.
 
The Green & Gold answered with two runs on three hits in the top of the eighth. With one out, Hall blasted a double and senior Ryder Miconi drew a walk on the next at bat. Large then doubled to plate Hall and tie the contest at 1-all.
 
Rhode Island subbed pitcher Cam Lafluer for Blaise Whitman, but it didn't make difference as Smith delivered what turned out to be the game-clinching RBI single on the very next at bat, putting the Tribe ahead 2-1.
 
In the bottom half of the eighth, W&M had to escape a bases-loaded jam to protect its slim one-run advantage. Jordan Powell led off with a walk and moved to second on a two-out grounder. Mike Corin was intentionally walked and Justin Jewell drew a walk to juice the bases. However, Jesse Lee grounded to second on the next at bat to cut the rally short.
 
White came in during the bottom of the ninth and secured the win by fanning the lead batter and retiring the next two on grounders.
 
Cam LaFleur was saddled with the loss for the Rams as he gave up the Tribe's two earned runs on two hits and recorded a strikeout.
 
The Tribe wrap up its road stretch with a trip to Big Ten opponent Maryland on Tuesday (March 7) at 4:00 p.m. The Green and Gold will then host an eight-game homestead that runs March 10-19.