By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Facing elimination, William & Mary began survival mode of the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament with a 7-3 win over Towson Thursday afternoon.

Zach Tsakounis allowed one run through 7.1 innings, giving the Tribe exactly what it needed in its first elimination game. Offensively, the Tribe had 14 hits off six different Tiger pitchers.

"We had no choice but to respond, and we played a good game," W&M coach Brian Murphy said. "We got a great pitching performance, and that's obviously where it all starts. And it was much needed."

Having won at least one game in each of its last four tournament appearances, the No. 6 seed Tribe (14-28) will play its next elimination game Friday at 11 a.m. facing off against fourth-seeded College of Charleston.
Tsakounis, a junior left-hander, allowed only three hits and a walk while striking out five. Fourteen of his 22 outs came on fly balls. He left with a 7-0 lead and a runner on first after throwing his career-high 109^th pitch.

In two CAA tournament starts (his first came in 2019 vs. UNC Wilmington), Tsakounis has given up one run in 12.1 innings — an ERA of 0.73. He has allowed one walk and struck out eight.

"He did his thing," Murphy said. "He was relentless in the strike zone. He was able to get to both sides of the plate and throw his change-up in the zone today. Those guys usually are pretty selective, but he had some really efficient innings once he showed he could throw his change-up in the zone."

"He's been his best in the biggest games. And he was there for us today when we really needed him."

The top seven batters in the lineup — Ben Williamson, Matt McDermott, Jack Cone, Tyler Solomon, Matt Thomas, Matt Trehub, and David Hogarth — had two hits apiece. McDermott and Cone each drove in two runs.

The 14 hits matches W&M's season high and are the Tribe's most in a CAA tournament game since 2017. Five of those hits — four doubles and a McDermott home run — were for extra bases.

For the second consecutive day, the Tribe took an early lead. Williamson led off the top of the first with a double to left-center and, one out later, Cone drove him in with a single to right. W&M had a chance for more but left runners at first and second.

The fourth inning was a virtual replay. Thomas led off with a double down the left-field line and, one out later, scored on a single by Hogarth.

Then came the hustle play of the day. With one out in the fifth, McDermott doubled down the left-field line. Cone then hit a long fly ball to right, and Towson's Billy Godrick made the catch while backpedaling and falling to the ground.

As McDermott tagged from second, Godrick stayed on the ground for a few seconds before throwing the ball into the infield. McDermott kept running around third and scored to make it 3-0.

"That was a mixture of a few things," Murphy said. "First off, it was a really good swing by Cone, who looked much more comfortable today. It was a good job by McDermott to read the ball correctly, and it was a really good send by Pat (McKenna, the third base coach).

"It was really a good momentum play."

The Tribe added further distance in the top of the seventh. After Williamson singled with two outs, McDermott drilled a two-run home run over the fence in left field. It was his second homer in less than 24 hours and his third in three games.

W&M tacked on two more runs in the eighth on a Trehub RBI single and a balk.

"The five (runs) gets you to the point where you're not having to heat up all your set-up guys up," Murphy said. "The tying run's not a single away from being on the on-deck circle.

"McDermott's hit to get a little separation was huge. And the runs that followed were really big as well."