HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The William & Mary baseball pitchers held Hofstra to a season-best two hits and the W&M offense provided enough run support as they grabbed a 5-3 victory to conclude the regular season with a three-game sweep on Saturday afternoon at University Field.
 
With the win, the Tribe finishes the regular season 31-23 overall and 15-8 in CAA action, while the Pride concludes the year 14-37, and 7-17 in league play.
 
Senior starter Daniel Powers tossed four shutout innings of one-hit ball to set the tone. Redshirt senior Aaron Fernandez added another pair of scoreless innings with a strikeout for his second win of the year. Classmate Nick Brown saved his second game of the series as he fanned a couple in the final inning. Brown now has a team-high seven saves on the year.
 
Senior Charles Ameer paced the W&M 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. Redshirt sophomore Kyle Wrighte posted two hits, a triple and two RBI, while junior Ryan Hall tallied two hits and drove in a run. Freshman Brandon Raquet recorded a double and also platted a run.
 
The Tribe pushed across its first run on three hits in the top of the second inning. Ameer slashed a one-out single through left side, before a Patrick Ryan single placed him in scoring position. Hall followed up with the third straight single to score Ameer and give W&M a 1-0 lead.
 
The Green and Gold increased its lead to 4-0 on a two-out three-run rally in the fourth inning. After the first pair of outs, Ryan drew a walk and Hall singled to shortstop, setting the table. Hunter Smith and Wrighte added two more singles to score both Ryan and Hall. The next batter, Raquet doubled to left center to plate Smith, but Wrighte was mowed down at home plate on an eight-five-two putout.
 
Hofstra ended its scoring drought and made it a one-run difference in the home half of the seventh. With two outs and runners on the corner, Rob Weissheier crushed a three-run bomb to left field. The home run narrowed the W&M advantage to 4-3.
 
However, the Tribe responded quickly in the top of the eighth inning. Senior Matthew Tilley forced a leadoff walk to set up Wrighte for a clutch RBI triple to right field. The crucial triple gave the Green and Gold a little breathing room with a 5-3 lead.
 
W&M came up just short in tacking on some insurance in the top of the ninth. Back-to-back walks and a failed pickoff attempt put the Tribe in business with no outs. Nonetheless, Rayn flied into a nine-two double play that cut down freshman Matthew Trehub at home plate, and Hall flied out to center field.
 
Regardless, Brown stepped on the mound in the bottom of the ninth and earned his second consecutive save against Hofstra. The closer got the first out on a pop up and struck out the next two batters on swings as he retired the side in order.
 
Teddy Cillis was attributed with the loss. He went seven innings with six strikeouts and four runs (all earned) on 11 hits.
 
The Tribe has already qualified for its fifth consecutive appearance in the Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament. The 2017 CAA Baseball Tournament takes place at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C., on May 24-27. Make sure to check out TribeAthletics.com for updates on tournament seeding and ticket information.