NEWARK, Del. – William & Mary baseball (19-7, 3-1 CAA) continues to rival the best start in program history, as they posted a 9-4 victory over Delaware (12-12, 2-2 CAA) in the conference weekend series-opener. The 19-7 record through 26 games had only been achieved twice before the Tribe matched it Friday with their second straight win.

Anthony Greco went 4-4 at the plate with a sacrifice fly for the second four-hit game of his freshman campaign, now owning two of the Tribe's three on the season. 

The long ball drove the offensive charge for the Tribe, as Ben Parker and Jerry Barnes III added to their home run totals while freshman Kevin Francella mashed the first of his career. The trio combined to drive in four of the Green & Gold's nine runs.

The Tribe posted their 15^th game with double-digit hits as the lineup combined to hit .324 in the contest, racking up 12 hits across eight of the starters. Parker tallied a pair of hits to go with his three runs.

Alex Markus earned his first victory with the Tribe, allowing only one run and three hits in his 3.0-inning start. Owen Pierce finished the game to earn his team-high fifth save of the season. The sophomore dealt 3.0 scoreless frames with three punchouts while allowing only three hits.

Greco opened the scoring for the Tribe in the first inning, ripping an 0-2 pitch just out of reach of the Blue Hens' leftfielder for a two-out RBI double. Nate Goranson came across to score for the Tribe after drawing a four-pitch walk.

Markus stranded a pair in the bottom of the first and got through two scoreless as Josiah Seguin turned a 6-4-3 double play and Markus' first strikeout of the game retired the side in the second.

In a noisy third inning, Ben Parker, the Tribe's home run leader, belted a solo shot to lead off the inning. Greco dropped a second double into right centerfield and Barnes launched an opposite field home run for W&M's second of the inning. The latter scores two, giving the Tribe a 4-0 lead heading to the bottom of three.

The Blue Hens got their first run in the third inning, as Markus' lone run of the game crossed on a fielder's choice, to cut into the Tribe's lead, 4-1.

Following a three-run third, W&M scored in the next three innings, tallying its second three-run frame in the fourth. A Seguin walk, Lucas Carmichael single and Parker walk loaded the bases, before the trio advanced on a Delaware wild pitch. Scoring the remaining two, Goranson and Greco each tallied sacrifice flies.

With two down in the top of the fifth, Francella took a hack at a 1-2 pitch, launching it over the right-field wall for his first career home run – the Tribe's third of the day.

Delaware halved W&M's lead to 8-4 with a three-run bottom of the fifth, but the Blue Hens' comeback hopes were short-lived as Luke Calveric and Pierce combined to hang zeroes in the final four innings.

Parker and Greco each tacked on another hit with singles in the sixth, and Parker came across with the final run of the contest on a perfectly executed double steal. His eighth stolen base also marking his 39^th run of the year.

The Tribe has its sights set on a fourth-consecutive series victory tomorrow as they return to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday for the middle game against the Blue Hens.
 
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