WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Behind a balanced offense and an eight-out save from RHP Zach Boyd, the William & Mary baseball team fought to a 10-8 victory over Old Dominion on Wednesday night at Plumeri Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED
W&M (6-15) was able to take a commanding early lead, netting five runs in the first inning. After a strikeout to start the frame, first baseman Anthony Greco singled and stole second. He was driven in by right fielder Christian Rush on an RBI double for the game's first run.

Left fielder Lucas Carmichael then doubled to the left-center gap to plate Rush for a 2-0 lead. It was part of a streak of five straight hits for the Tribe. In the ensuing at-bat, first baseman Derek Holmes ripped an RBI single up the middle to extend the lead.

Holmes had a multi-hit day as he went 2-for-4 with two runs driven in.

Following a successful double-steal, second baseman Kevin Francella drove in two with a single to right field that made it 5-0. The Tribe drove ODU (5-13) starter Nick Sulpizio out of the game after just ⅓ of an inning.

W&M starter Chad Yates delivered a solid outing on the mound, going 4.2 innings and giving up one earned run. He struck out two Monarchs in a scoreless first. After letting up a run in the second inning, he retired the side in order in the third and pitched around two walks in the fourth.

William & Mary tacked on a couple more runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from shortstop Owen Wilson and a run-scoring double off the bat of center fielder Ben Parker.

The visitors mounted a comeback effort, scoring three runs in the fifth inning to trim the W&M lead to 7-4. However, RHP Daniel Lingle entered with the bases loaded and struck out ODU's Tahraun Hammond to negate further damage.

In the ensuing half-inning, an RBI single from Holmes extended the Tribe's advantage to 8-4. Francella then plated Carmichael with a groundout before catcher Charlie Felmlee drove a single up the middle for another run, giving the Tribe a 10-4 advantage.

Francella was 1-for-3 with three RBI.

Old Dominion scored two runs in the sixth and seventh innings to make it a 10-8 ballgame. In a common refrain, Boyd was able to wiggle out of a jam in the seventh, inducing a strikeout and groundout to strand two runners in scoring position.

Although the Tribe did not register a hit in the final three innings, Boyd was able to carry his team to the finish line, going 2.2 innings to pick up the save. The freshman tallied four strikeouts, including two in the ninth.

Lingle was the pitcher of record for W&M while Sulpizio was tagged with the loss.

STAT NUGGETS

• All nine of the Tribe's starters recorded at least one hit.
• Francella's three RBI tied a career-high set on March 15, 2024 against Quinnipiac.
• Carmichael was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.
• Lingle got his first win while Boyd recorded his first career save.
• W&M posted double-digit hits (11) for the third straight game.
• The Tribe got their first win over their in-state rivals since 2022.

UP NEXT
The Tribe begins conference play this weekend at N.C. A&T. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m.