WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Second baseman Henry Jackson hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning to propel William & Mary baseball to a 5-4 win over Rhode Island in the Friday nightcap at Plumeri Park, helping the Tribe come back from a 10-9 loss in game one and split a doubleheader on Opening Day.

GAME ONE
The Tribe (1-1) came up on the wrong end of a barn-burner in the opener, falling 10-9 in a game that saw 26 combined hits. After Rhode Island (1-1) opened up the scoring in the top of the first, the Tribe evened the contest when center fielder Ben Parker scored on a fielding error by the URI second baseman.

In the second inning, Parker supplied the big power himself, lifting a three-run homer to right field for a 4-2 lead.

The advantage was short-lived as the Rams struck for the next five runs over two innings.

Down 7-4, the home team got a boost from DH Charlie Iriotakis, who shot a two-run triple to straightaway center that narrowed the deficit to one.

The action went back and forth from there. In the bottom of the sixth, freshman third baseman Matthew Kosuda hit his first career home run, a solo blast to left.

Trailind 10-7 entering the eighth, Kosuda came through again with an RBI double that plated Henry Jackson. Fellow rookie Jamie Laskofski followed up with an RBI base knock that made it a 10-9 game, but the Tribe was unable to rally further.

William & Mary had a tough time containing the URI offense as starter Zack Potts was tagged for six runs. Junior righty Darren Osborne did pitch a scoreless ninth inning, striking out three.

Both Laskofski and Parker had three-hit days at the top of the order, with Parker adding three runs. Kosuda went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.

AJ Jones was the winning pitcher for the visitors.

GAME TWO
RHP Owen Pierce was the star of game two, tossing four scoreless innings in relief to earn the win in a seven-inning game. He allowed just one hit and struck out five.

Similar to game one, the Tribe found itself in a first inning deficit, trailing 2-0. In the home half of the first, right fielder Christian Rush laced a bases-clearing double for a 3-2 lead.

URI responded with a pair of runs in the third. W&M resurged to tie the game at four in the fifth inning when catcher Jerry Barnes hit a triple to deep center field and was punched home on a groundout by Kosuda.

Jackson got in the hit column in the bottom of the sixth when he singled through the infield to send Lucas Carmichael home for the go-ahead run.

Pierce held steady in the seventh, striking out a pair before Barnes threw out a runner stealing second to end the contest.

STAT NUGGETS

• W&M was led by a pair of freshmen in Laskofski (4-for-8, three runs) and Kosuda (two hits, three runs, three RBI).
• Parker was 4-for-7 on the day with eight total bases.
• Piece's four innings was tied for the second-longest outing of his career. Opponents were 1-for-13 (.077) against him.
• Barnes recorded his first career triple, as did Iriotakis.

UP NEXT
The series finale is tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. Stay tuned to TribeAthletics.com for updates regarding schedule changes.