WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary baseball pitching staff allowed a season-low three hits and was backed by a potent offensive effort during a 12-2 triumph over Lehigh on Wednesday evening. The Tribe (6-12) lineup saw four different players tally multiple RBI in downing the Mountain Hawks (6-9).
W&M stormed out to a 5-0 advantage across the first two innings. In the opening frame, junior
Nick Butts leadoff with a single and classmate
Colin Lipke doubled down the left line, before a
Ryan Hall RBI single and an error brought two runners home. A RBI grounder from sophomore
Patrick Ryan platted the third run.
In the bottom of the second, junior
Owen Socher registered W&M's second consecutive leadoff single and classmate
Zach Pearson was hit by a pitch, setting the table. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, before Lipke smoked a two-RBI double to right center – his second of the game.
The Green and Gold padded its lead behind a pair of two-out runs in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, junior
Hunter Smith crushed a two-RBI double to right field. The Mountain Hawks tacked two runs on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, but the Tribe kept its foot on the gas pedal.
W&M loaded the bases in the seventh inning to set up Lipke for an RBI single to third base. Hall then reached on a fielder's choice to push across a run and create a 9-2 advantage. The Tribe juiced the bases again in the eighth to allow Pearson to clear them on a double to left center for the 12-2 final.
Tribe Standouts
Lipke and Pearson paced the team with three hits and three RBI each. Hall finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Smith added the team's fourth double to go along with two RBI. Ryan earned a base hit and plated a run.
Sophomore
Chris Farrell earned his first career win after tossing five innings, striking out three and yielding just two runs (one earned) on two hits. Graduate transfer
Andrew Burnick and senior
Robert White both fanned two batters in a scoreless inning of work. Sophomore
Jamie Sara and rookie
Justin Pearson also had productive appearances by retiring the side in order.
Inside the Numbers
- W&M hit .342 (13-for-38) overall and restricted Lehigh to a .100 (3-for-30) batting average.
- With a runner on third and less than two outs, the Tribe posted a .750 (6-for-8) rate.
- The Green and Gold did not surrender a two out hit.
- In total, the Tribe pitching staff administered five 123 innings.
- Matt Svanson received the loss as he gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in one inning of work.
Notes
Farrell earned his first career win and matched his collegiate-best in innings pitched...It was the first meeting between the programs since 1985…W&M improved its all-time series lead to 4-2…Lipke was the third Tribe player to double twice in a game – Hall and Pearson were the previous two…The Tribe scored double-digit runs for the third time in 2018…Smith pushed his on-base streak to a season-high nine-games…Butts had posted a hit in five straight games.
Up Next
The Tribe will host its final non-conference weekend series against East Tennessee State to wrap up a four-game home stretch. The three-game set begins on Friday, March 16 at 6 pm, continues on Saturday, March 17 at 4 pm and concludes on Sunday, March 18 at 1 pm.
