This weekend, William and Mary suffered its first home loss of 2016 in extra innings, but fought back to claim two consecutive defeats over Georgetown, outscoring the visitors 26-11 in the final two games. The Tribe entered the weekend on a four-game winning streak, unbeaten on the year at Plumeri Park.
Friday, the Tribe (14-12, 3-1 CAA) trailed 2-1 after three innings thanks to a two-run Georgetown third inning. However, the College evened the score in the seventh, with sophomore second baseman Cullen Large getting hit by a pitch before stealing second, then scoring on freshman shortstop Kyle Wrighte with an outfield single. However, the Tribe was back behind in the eight after Georgetown (13-16) put runners on second and third via a combination of errors and walks, then Hoya third baseman Christian Sanchez doubled to right field to score two runs. Georgetown added another run to lead 6-3 after eight.
The Tribe pulled a run back in the eighth and rallied in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. With two out and a runner on first base, the Tribe loaded the bases through savvy at-bats, before junior designated hitter Ryder Miconi clipped a single into right-center, knocking in two runs and advancing the winning runner to third base. The Tribe could not take advantage of the runner, and the game went to extra innings.
The Tribe stranded runners on first and second in the 10th inning, and the game looked to be in danger when Georgetown had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the 11th, but senior right-handed reliever Joseph Gaouette struck out Georgetown first baseman Joseph Bialkowski to preserve hope for the Tribe. Eventually, the Tribe’s offense stalled, and when Georgetown punched in two runs on a series of errors, the Tribe went down in order to end the game.
The Tribe had a chance for revenge on Saturday, and they took it, breaking another ninth-inning tie with a walk-off homer by senior centerfielder Josh Smith home run to take game two 10-9. Smith had a hot day at the plate, hitting 4 for 5 with three RBIs, two home runs and a double. His first homer gave the Tribe the lead after a four-run sixth inning tied the game at eight.
The Hoyas tied the game in the top of the ninth, and the Tribe looked to be in trouble after sophomore right-handed reliever Robert White threw a wild pitch to the first batter he faced, then walked Hoya shortstop Dante Riccardi to load the bases. White then got Georgetown centerfielder Beau Hall to pop out to second, preserving the tie game. Then, with one out, Smith launched a hit over the center-field wall to even the series 1-1.
The Tribe closed the series in convincing fashion on Sunday, putting out a dominating 16-2 performance in the rubber game to take their season record to 14-12. Although no Tribe hitter had more than three hits, a balanced attack saw seven hitters grab an RBI, led by Large, who notched four RBIs on 3 for 5 hitting, including a two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Large’s roundtripper came after the Tribe had already opened up a four-run lead. Junior outfielder Charles Ameer also hit two home runs, one each in the sixth and eighth innings. The latter homer was part of the Tribe’s killing blow — a seven-run, eight-hit inning in which the College travelled through the batting order and almost back through it.
Equally impressive was the Tribe’s defensive performance. Although junior right-hander Daniel Powers has the highest earned run average of the Tribe’s four starters at 7.08, he tossed a controlled seven innings. Georgetown managed nine hits. The Tribe turned two double plays, and Powers allowed two runs, earning his fourth win of the season.
The Tribe’s two wins this weekend take the all-time series with Georgetown to 20-4 in favor of the College. Senior first baseman Charley Gould boasts a streak of his own, as the first baseman has reached base safely in all 26 games so far. This weekend, Gould had a lone eighth-inning single in the first game, while he managed five hits in the latter two.
Next up for the Tribe is a midweek trip to face in-state rivals Virginia Tech (Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Blacksburg) and Old Dominion on the road. The Hokies host Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., while the Monarchs play the Tribe Wednesday at 6 p.m.
