WILLIAMSBUR, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team grinded out a 4-3 comeback win against in-state rival Old Dominion on Tuesday night. The Tribe (14-20) overcame a late one-run deficit to complete a season sweep of the Monarchs (10-21).
W&M struck first with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Junior
Colin Lipke led off the frame with a double to left center, before advancing on a wild pitch. Classmate
Zach Pearson then brought him home courtesy of a single through the right side. Junior
Owen Socher made it a 2-0 game behind a RBI single to left field.
However, the Monarchs ignited a two-out rally in claiming a 3-2 advantage in the top of the sixth. ODU juiced the bases after the two outs to set the table. A hit by pitch pushed across the first run, before Kyle Battle hit a two-RBI single to center field, giving ODU the one-run lead.
The Green and Gold then capitalized on a critical Monarch error in the seventh inning to erase the deficit. Following back-to-back strikeouts, senior
Ryan Hall was able to reach on a fielding mishap by the shortstop. On the next at bat, rookie
Matt McDermott slashed a single through the left side and Lipke walked to load the bases. Junior
Hunter Smith and Pearson went on to walk in two unearned runs for the 4-3 lead.
In the top of the eighth, Junior
Nick Butts stranded to game-tying run on second base, facing just four batters. Senior
Charlie Fletcher was then asked to record the last three outs. Fletcher gave up a one-out walk, but induced a 4-6-3 double play in saving the win.
Tribe Standouts
Socher paced the offensive effort with two hits, including a double, and a RBI. Hall also tallied two hits, Pearson drove in two runs and Lipke belted his eighth double. After earning his first start, freshman
Justin Pearson went three shutout innings with just two hits.
Sophomore
Michael Goldak also blanked the Monarchs in two innings of work, while fanning four batters and allowing only two hits. Butts and Fletcher kept ODU off the scoreboard through the last 3.1 innings.
Inside the Numbers
- Both teams manufactured three two-out RBI and batted .333 (4-for-12) with two outs.
- The Green and Gold held a .273 average (.3-11) with runners in scoring position, while holding ODU to a .200 percentage (2-for-10).
- The W&M pitching staff did not surrender an extra base hit and induced the only double play of the game.
- Butts (2-1) was credit with the win as the Tribe regained the advantage with him on the mound. He fired in a strikeout and yielded just two hits.
- Isaiah Nelson (0-1) took the loss after tossing 1.2 innings with three strikeouts, two hits and two runs (both unearned).
- Fletcher picked up his first save of 2018 as he walked a batter, but did not allow a hit in the ninth.
Notes
Fletcher will tie the program all-time appearance record in his next call to the mound, currently at 95 in his career…It's the first time the Tribe swept ODU in mid-week action since the Monarchs left the Colonial Athletic Association in 2014. The Tribe has now competed in 17 one-run games and won its last three…W&M is also 13-4 when it scores first and 6-2 in night games…Butts picked up both of his wins against the Monarchs…The Tribe claimed its first win when trailing after six innings…Smith pushed his hitting streak to a season-high seven consecutive games, while Lipke extended his to six in a row…Goldak matched his season-best in strikeouts…W&M advances to 3-3 against in-state rivals.
Up Next
The Tribe will travel to James Madison for another big CAA series this weekend. The three-game set opens on Friday, April 13 at 6 pm, continues on Saturday, April 14 at 4 pm and concludes on Sunday, April 15 at 1 pm.
