WILMINGTON, N.C. – Behind a dazzling effort from senior Bodie Sheehan, the William & Mary baseball team topped UNCW, 8-1, to clinch the CAA series on Saturday afternoon. Sheehan hurled seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Tribe (18-7, 3-2) to its third-straight win against the Seahawks (15-13, 3-2).
 
The Tribe came out of the gates with an offensive outburst, scoring five runs in the first two innings.  During the opening frame, W&M sent eight batters to the plate to grab a 3-0 lead.  Back-to-back singles from rookie Matt Thomas and senior Owen Socher ignited the rally. After the first out, senior Zach Pearson hit a first-pitch RBI double down the left line before junior Matthew Trehub recorded an RBI grounder to shortstop.
 
Freshman Jack Cone platted the third run on a single up the middle. In the next inning, Thomas set the stage again with a one-out walk before moving up on a wild pitch. A throwing error at third base allowed Thomas to come home. Two straight singles from senior Hunter Smith and Pearson made a 5-0 affair.
 
Each side exchanged runs in the fourth inning for a 6-1 score. Nonetheless, the Tribe added an insurance run apiece in the eighth and ninth. During the eighth inning, a Socher walk and Smith single set up Pearson for a two-out RBI single to left field. Freshman Hunter Hart scored the eighth run after leading off with a double, moving up on a sac bunt and coming home via grounder to shortstop.
 
Sheehan's (3-0) final stat line included a season-high seven strikeouts and six scattered hit to gain the win. Brody Lawson (3-1) took the loss after five runs on seven hit in three innings.
 
Tribe Standouts
The top of the lineup thrived as batters one through four totaled 10 hits. Pearson generated a banner performance after finishing 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI. Pearson's four hits is also a career-best.
 
Socher went 3-for-4, adding a triple, from the two-hole. Smith tallied two hits, while Hart added the second double and Trehub drove in a run. Senior Nick Butts closed out the game with two innings of no-hit ball and a strikeout.
 
Notes
Sheehan made his 51^st career start and needs only four more to replace Jason Inghram' 15 as the program's all-time leader … Sheehan also became the seventh pitcher in W&M history to surpass 300 career innings and the 13^th to eclipse 200 strikeouts ...Socher stretched his on-base streak to 13 games in a row, while Thomas made it eight-consecutive games … Pearson registered his sixth multiple-RBI game of the season … Socher has produced multi-hit in two of last four appearances … It was also Socher's second three-hit effort of the season, tripling for the first time in his career …Pearson tied eighth in W&M annals for most hits in a game … It is the first time the Tribe won back-to-back games over UNCW since doing so to claim the 2016 CAA Championship … The last time W&M took a three-game series from UNCW was in 2004, which occurred in Williamsburg … The previous road series win at UNCW occurred in 1998.
 
Up Next
The weekend series will conclude on Sunday. First pitch has been moved up to 11 am due to a forecast of bad weather.