NEWARK, Del. – The William & Mary baseball team led through majority of the contest, but Delaware rallied in 11 innings to win the series finale, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium. With the decision, the Tribe falls to 15-13 overall and 2-4 in CAA action, while the Blue Hens move to 15-10, 3-3 in league play.
Junior
Cullen Large and sophomore
Hunter Smith led the W&M offense with a home run each. Large finished 2-for-6 with two RBI and a run, while Smith drove in a pair of runs and scored one. Sophomore
Owen Socher produced multiple hits behind a 2-for-4 effort, while junior
Ryan Hall notched a double.
The Tribe got on the scoreboard first with one run on two hits in the first inning. After back-to-back strikeouts, Large registered his third home run of the season on a solo blast to left field, giving the Tribe an early 1-0 lead.
W&M produced a three-run rally in the top of the third to stretch it advantage. Hall led off the frame with a double down the left line, before advancing to third on a
Kyle Wrighte sac bunt. Large then plated Hall behind a single to center field. Following the first out, Smith notched his third homer of the season with a two-run bomb to right field, putting the Tribe ahead 4-0.
The Green and Gold loaded the bases in both the fifth and eighth inning, but couldn't plate a runner to extend its lead. In the fifth, a hit by pitch and back-to-back one-out walks loaded the bases, but Wrighte was tagged out at home in an attempt to score on a wild pitch. Senior
Ryder Miconi was intentionally walked to juice the bases again, but classmate
Matthew Tilley struck out swinging for the third out.
During the top of the eighth, back-to-back singles and an error put the Tribe in another position to add more runs. However, Burke Fitzpatrick came in to pitch for Colman Vila and went on to strikeout Hall, get the second out on a tag at home plate and then retired Large on a caught foul ball by the third baseman.
The Blue Hens rallied to even the contest with three runs in the home half of the eighth and one more in the ninth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Kevin Mohollen hit a leadoff single, before Jordan Glover plated him courtesy of a triple to center field.
Doug Trimble kept the rally going with a RBI single through the left side, and a Jeremy Ake RBI double to right center made the score just a one-run difference. In the ninth, Mohollen stepped up again for the Blue Hens by belting a RBI triple to center field, sending the game to extra innings at 4-all.
The Blue Hens clinched the game and the series in the bottom of the 11
th. Tyler Callender hit a one-out double to center field, and Mohollen delivered again with a walk-off double to center field.
Daniel Powers (2-3) was credited with loss after logging 1.1 innings of relief and surrendering the game-winning run. Burk FitzPatrick (1-0) earned the win as held the Tribe scoreless on one hit and fanned three batters in four innings of solid relief.
The Tribe wrap up a four-game road stretch at VCU on Tuesday, April 4. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
