NORFOLK, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team was outlasted by Old Dominion, 6-3, in the first of five straight road games at the Bud Metheny Complex on Tuesday evening.
With the loss, the Tribe falls to 18-15, while to Monarchs improve to 25-9.
Senior
Ryder Miconi and sophomore
Owen Socher paced W&M with two hits each. Miconi also drove in a couple of runs and hit a double. Junior
Ryan Hall posted a double as well, while sophomore
Zach Pearson plated a run.
Old Dominion used the long ball for an early lead in the bottom of the first. Nick Walker led off the frame with a dinger to left field for a 1-0 Monarchs lead. However, senior
Chase Bailey gave up just one more hit, before retiring the side on fly outs.
The Tribe pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to take a one-run lead. Senior
Charles Ameer hit a leadoff single through the left side, and Miconi followed up with a double to right center to plate him. After two outs, Pearson scored Miconi courtesy of a single through the right side, giving W&M a 2-1 advantage.
Nonetheless, the Monarchs reclaimed the lead on a four-run rally in the home half of the fifth. Back-to-back one-out errors put runners on base, before Zach Rutherford cleared them on a two-RBI double to right center. Culver Lamb would go on to record another two-RBI double for a 5-2 lead.
The Monarchs added another run in the sixth inning. Walker notched a leadoff single and advanced to second base on wild pitch. Jared Young laid down a bunt single on the next at bat, before Rutherford put the ball in play to score Walker, giving ODU a 6-2 margin.
In the top of the ninth, the Green and Gold put a run on the scoreboard in attempt to rally. Large singled to center field to lead off the frame. After two outs, Large stole second and crossed home plate behind a Miconi single to right center. Regardless, a pop up to shortstop closed the game with a 6-3 final.
Freshman
Wade Strain (2-1) was dealt his first loss after he went 1.1 innings with three strikeouts and four runs, all of them unearned, on two hits.
John Wilson (1-0) was attributed with the win as he posted two strikeouts and held the Tribe scoreless on two hits in three innings of work.
W&M will return to action against another Hampton Roads foe in Norfolk State tomorrow at 5 p.m.