WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Junior Jack Cone ended both games of the Tribe's doubleheader sweep of UNCW in thrilling fashion Saturday at Plumeri Park. The utility man shot a walk-off single to secure a 5-4 in the first game and pitched a clean top of the ninth earning his first save of the season in a 7-6 second game victory. 
 
Cone's walk-off single capped a two-out, three-run ninth inning to lift William & Mary baseball to a thrilling 5-4 win over UNCW in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The Tribe (4-8, 3-2 CAA) twice erased multiple-run deficits, trailing 3-0 after an inning and a half and 4-2 entering the ninth.
 
In the final inning of game one, the Green and Gold got thing started with a pair of one-out walks from Matt Thomas and David Hogarth. After UNCW's Adam Smith, who entered with a 1.80 ERA, registered the second out of the inning via a strike out. Sophomore Ben Williamson drew the Tribe within a run, plating Thomas on an RBI single through the left side.
 
Hogarth trotted home with the tying run on a wild throw to first base by UNCW shortstop Taber Mongero on a Matt McDermott ground ball, setting the stage for Cone. The junior center fielder ripped a 2-2 pitch through the left side to score Williamson and incite a Tribe celebration.
 
Cone finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and two walks. Williamson was 1-for-3 and added an RBI and two runs scored. Thomas had a nice game at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored on top of starting the ninth inning rally.
 
Justin Pearson picked up the win, pitching two innings of scoreless relief. Graduate student Wade Strain threw seven solid innings, striking out two while scattering 10 hits and allowed four runs.
 
Smith took the loss, allowing two hits, two walks and three runs (one earned) over one inning of relief. UNCW starter Landen Roupp was impressive striking out eight over 7.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits.
 
UNCW struck first with a trio of two-out runs in the first two innings. Cole Weiss and Kip Brandenburg both doubled to left center field to plate the first Seahawk run in the opening inning. Matt Suggs brough home the second UNCW run, plating Brandenburg with a single to right.
 
The Seahawks tacked on a two-out run in the second. After Brooks Baldwin doubled to left center, Weiss scored him with a single through the right side.
 
Thomas drove in the Tribe's first run of the ball game in the bottom of the second on a two-out double down the right field line. Graduate student Matt Trehub, who was hit earlier in the inning, came around to score and close the gap to 3-1. Thomas nearly scored on Hogarth's single to left the just a batter later, but a strong throw from Marsh cut down the Tribe run at the plate.
 
The Green and Gold scored another two-out run in the third to draw within a run. Cone nearly tied the game with a shot to right field on a 3-1 pitch. His rope to deep right hit off the top of the wall and scored Williamson, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame.
 
W&M threatened in the bottom of the sixth. After a one-out walk to Cone, he stole second. Roupp was able to pitch out of it by inducing back-to-back groundouts to end the Tribe chance in the frame.
 
UNCW added a run in the top of the seventh on three-straight, two-out singles. Weiss singled through the right side to bring home Baldwin and increase the visitors lead to 4-2.  
In the second matchup, UNCW struck first tagging Tribe starter Zach Tsakounis for three runs in the second inning powered by home runs from Matt Suggs and Zachary Bridges. That would be all the Seahawks could muster against the Tribe lefty as Tsakounis would strike out five and scatter five hits over 7.0 innings pitched to earn the win. 
 
The Tribe struck back offensively as Cole Ragone led off the bottom half of the third with a double down the left field line. Ragone scored as Phil Conti ripped a double into left center and Conti came around on Ben Williamson's single into right, cutting UNCW's lead to 3-2. 
 
W&M would get to the UNCW pitching staff again in the bottom of the fourth as Tyler Solomon reached on an error and moved to second as Matt Thomas singled. Solomon scored when Ragone shot an RBI single to tie the ballgame and David Hogarth's sacrifice bunt plated Thomas to give the Tribe a 4-3 lead. 
 
With Ragone on third and two outs Conti came to the plate looking to give W&M some insurance runs. The junior infielder smashed a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left center for his first career home run to open up a 6-3 advantage. 
 
In the Tribe half of the seventh Jack Cone would once again be a factor manufacturing a run as he led off the inning with a single to left. The centerfielder would then steal second before advancing to third on a passed ball. Cone would score the Tribe's seventh run on Matt Trehub's sacrifice fly to center sneaking in under the tag of UNCW's catcher Bridges. 
 
It was an all important seventh run as the Seahawks would plate three men in the top of the eighth cutting the lead to 7-6. There was no threat in the ninth as Cone polished off his five-out save with a clean inning that was highlighted by a pair of strikeouts to give the Tribe a two-game sweep over the preseason-favorite UNCW. 
 
Juniors Cole Ragone and Phil Conti were the offensive stars in the second game for the Tribe each with a pair of hits. Ragone scored a pair and knocked in a run while Conti scored twice and knocked in a trio of runners. Cone added a pair of hits, scored, and added a steal in the game. 
 
Coach Murphy's team will look to complete the sweep of UNCW tomorrow in the series finale as the two teams meet for a 1:00 p.m. Sunday matinee at Plumeri Park.