WILMINGTON, N.C. – The William & Mary baseball team extended its winning streak to three games and claimed victory for the sixth time in its last seven contests with a 5-3 triumph at UNCW on Friday evening.
 
W&M's (12-19, 9-7) four runs in the first inning proved to be all the offense it needed, as RHP Wade Strain (5-4) earned the victory by allowing just three earned runs in 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts. The Burke, Va., native scattered seven hits and did not surrender any walks.
 
LHP Matt Howat closed out the victory and earned his second save of the season with two scoreless innings in relief.
 
W&M wasted little time jumping out to the early advantage in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single by Ben Williamson and a walk by Matt McDermott, Mark Trotta and Matt Thomas followed with back-to-back RBI singles. Tyler Solomon plated two more runs with a two-out double to right center.
 
Although UNCW (20-16, 5-8) got a run back in the bottom half of the second, W&M answered with a run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by David Hogarth that drove in Hunter Hart.
 
The Seahawks cut the lead in half in the eighth inning with a pair of runs, but Howat stranded two runners and worked a perfect ninth to secure the victory.
 
UNCW's Landen Roupp (4-4) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on five hits and seven walks in 5.0 innings.
 
Taber Mongero went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored to lead UNCW at the plate. Jac Croom and Jack Howell also went 2-for-3, while Croom scored a run.
 
The two teams will play the second contest of a three-game set on Saturday at 4 p.m.