Box Score By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Playing its second elimination game in as many days, William & Mary got the quality start it needed from fifth-year senior Wade Strain. But a tie game got away late, and the Tribe's season came to an end.

Done in largely by a four-run seventh inning, the Tribe was eliminated from the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament with an 8-3 loss to Charleston Friday. Strain gave up three runs through six-plus innings but ended up as the tough-luck loser.

"He was a little hobbled because he tweaked his knee, but he was everything we could ask for today," W&M coach Brian Murphy said. "He emptied the bucket for us. He gave us everything he had and pitched really, really well for us."

Following Zach Tsakounis' gem the day before, Strain gave the Tribe six strong innings on Friday. After giving up a leadoff single in the seventh, he gave way to Jack Cone with the score tied 2-2.

Cone got a pair of strikeouts, but he also walked two to load the bases. Then, on a 1-2 count, the Cougars' Tanner Steffy singled through the right side to drive in two runs. Ari Sechopoulos followed with a two-run double, and Charleston suddenly had a 6-2 lead.

"It was a 2-2 game, and then they opened it up on us," Murphy said. "The scored in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, and that's not a good recipe. They found some holes there, had some good at bats, and drew some walks.

"We gave them a few things, but they beat us late. They played better the back half of the game."

After roughing up Towson's pitching for 14 hits in Thursday's 7-3 win, the Tribe had nine hits on Friday. Outfielder Matt Thomas went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Catcher Matt Trehub was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Charleston left-hander Connor Campbell got the complete-game win. He had no walks and threw 103 pitches.

"That was a hell of an effort," Murphy said. "He was in the strike zone a little more than he had been in his other outings against us."

Strain retired eight of the first nine batters he faced before giving up a solo home run to Charleston's Trotter Harlan with two outs in the top of the third. Strain then gave up a walk and a single but induced a groundout to in the inning.

Campbell had retired seven Tribe batters in a row until Thomas led off the fifth with a double down the left field line. Back-to-back groundouts to the right side brought him home with David Hogarth picking up an RBI for the sixth consecutive game.

Strain got the first two outs in the top of the sixth inning, but Charleston then got three consecutive singles — the third by Jared Kirven — to drive in a run and give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

William & Mary answered quickly in its half. After Joe Delossantos led off with a single, Ben Williamson bunted him over and was safe himself on an error. Matt McDermott moved both runners over, and Cone tied the game with an RBI groundout.