HARRISONBURG, VA. – William & Mary split a pair of games with the Dukes Saturday afternoon in Harrisonburg. The Tribe fell 10-7 in the first game before coming back to take a 7-4 win in game two.
The Tribe fell behind 7-0 early in the ballgame and despite a furious comeback, the Green and Gold could not overcome the deficit.
Jacob Haney pitched a flawless 5.0 innings striking out four and allowing zero runs to keep the Tribe in it as JMU took a 10-7 win.
Tyler Solomon provided the visitors with a pair of doubles, scoring twice and knocking in a pair.
In game two the Tribe got a solid effort from winning pitcher
Justin Pearson and quality relief from
Matt Howat and
Jack Cone. Homers from Matt Trehub and
Ben Williamson led the offensive effort.
The Dukes jumped on the Tribe early in the first game of the day scoring four in the first highlighted by a Kyle Novak three-run homer. James Madison would tack on three runs in the second behind an RBI single from Novak.
The Tribe would get on the board in the fourth inning as
Tyler Solomon would take advantage of a lead-off walk and score. Solomon's walk was followed by a
Cole Ragone single and
David Hogarth's single to left would plate Solomon making it 7-1.
The Green and Gold would score again to get back in the game in the fifth as
Ben Williamson led off with a double. The third baseman would score on Solomon's double to right center. Solomon scored for the second time on Ragone's single up the middle. After Matt Trehub was hit by a pitch, Hogarth ripped a double into right, scoring Ragone and Trehub.
In the sixth, the Tribe would continue to chip away plating another run.
Joe Delossantos led off with a walk and moved to third on
Ben Williamson's single to left. Delossantos scored as
Matt McDermott sent a sac fly to deep right to make it a one run game.
JMU would score a pair in the seventh to push the lead to 9-6, but the Tribe struck back in the top half of the eighth. McDermott led off with a single and stole second before coming home on Solomon's double to the gap.
Chase DeLauter would lead off the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot down the right field line to push the lead back to three. Williamson and McDermott would single in the ninth but the Tribe would not be able to score as the game went final 10-7.
It would be the Tribe striking first in the second game as McDermott shot a one out double in the top of the first. The shortstop scored on
Matt Thomas' single up the middle. The Green and Gold added to the lead as Matt Trehub smashed a first-pitch homer to right to start the second inning.
The Tribe scored again in the fourth as
Phil Conti's triple plated
Mark Trotta. Williamson followed with his second homer of the year giving the Tribe a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, JMU scored one, and the Dukes added two in the fifth to make it 5-3.
The Green and Gold scored again in the seventh when Ragone singled and moved to third on Trehub's double. Ragone touched home after a balk making it 6-3. Hogarth followed with an RBI single giving the Tribe a four run lead.
The Dukes would finally get to the Tribe pen in the ninth as Novak scored on a sac fly in making it 7-4.
Jack Cone would retire the next two batters to secure the 7-4 win for the Tribe. The two teams will battle again tomorrow for the series.
