Coming off of a loss in the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association Championship which ended its season, William and Mary started the 2015 season with a three-game series at No. 18 Mississippi, picking up one win sandwiched by two losses Friday and Saturday in Oxford, Miss.
The Tribe (1-2, 0-0 CAA) lost its opening game, 9-4, with senior left-handed pitcher Jason Inghram taking the loss. The College began the scoring with junior catcher Ryan Hissey’s solo home run in the top of the second inning, bringing the score to 1-0. In the bottom of the second inning, Ole Miss (2-1, 0-0 SEC) took a 4-1 lead after senior third baseman Willie Shaw suffered two throwing errors, and Inghram gave up three hits.
Despite hits in each inning, the Tribe did not score again until the seventh. Inghram and the College’s fielders kept Ole Miss in a scoring drought before a sacrifice fly brought the score to 5-1 in the sixth inning.
The College had a strong seventh inning, scoring three runs. Hissey batted in two runs with a double, while junior first baseman Charley Gould brought in Hissey with a double for the third run of the inning, closing the gap to 5-4.
In the eighth, the Rebels scored two runs on freshman right-handed reliever Robert White. The Tribe brought in junior left-handed pitcher Andrew White, who gave up two runs to post the final score of 9-4 as the Tribe’s offense couldn’t get back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning.
The Tribe finished game one with 10 hits and four runs batted in. Inghram had one earned run in the six innings he was at the mound.
The Tribe played an unexpected doubleheader Saturday, after the third game of the series was moved from Sunday due to inclement weather.
The College claimed the victory in game two by a final score of 8-1, with sophomore right-handed pitcher Nick Brown earning the win. Sophomore designated hitter Ryder Miconi had four RBIs with a double and a three-run homer. In the second inning, Miconi brought in the first run of the game to give the Tribe a 1-0 lead.
The fourth inning was productive for the College. Miconi’s home run started the rally, as the Tribe loaded the bases with two walks and an error. Then, Ole Miss’ Sam Smith walked Shaw to bring in a run. Two sacrifice flies by Hissey and Gould added another run to the score. The Tribe hit around the order as Shaw appeared at the plate for the second time, batting in a run with a double. The Tribe led 7-1 at the end of the fourth.
The Tribe shut out Mississippi for most of the game; Brown only gave up one run in the second. The College secured the victory with a run in the sixth inning, with Shaw hitting an RBI double to bring the score to 8-1. Brown took the win with six innings pitched, six strikeouts, and one earned run.
The third game of the series and second of the day saw the Tribe fall to the Rebels once again, this time by a final score of 16-2. The College’s two runs came in the fifth inning when senior catcher Devin White hit a two-run double. However, Ole Miss had already built a 9-0 advantage before the College scored, powered by a seven run third inning against junior right-handed pitcher Mitchell Aker. Aker exited the game in the fourth inning.
Ole Miss tacked on another eight runs over the rest of the game; the Rebels secured the victory with a four-run rally in the seventh inning. The Tribe’s bats stayed quiet, only earning seven hits in the game. Aker picked up his first loss of the season, giving up eight runs after facing 17 batters.
The College is slated for a 15-game homestand at Plumeri Park starting with its home opener against Binghamton Feb. 20 at 4 p.m.
Well well well, I see they finally gave you a bio, eh Sipolla? Good for you. I’m so proud of the man you’ve become. Unlike our terrible baseball team, you scored a home run with this article. Your skills as a journalist grow with every new story you publish, and it’s like an orgy for my eyes each time I get to read a new one. I have a question regarding the tribe baseball team, however. Do the players actually enjoy the post-game wiggle ball with the fans? Because if I just lost two games out of three, the last thing I’d want to do is play two hours of whiffle ball with some randos I don’t even know. Also, did you know that if the current rate and trend continues, there will be more midgets than regular sized people by the year 2120? Food for thought… Is a good restaurant. See what I did there? You thought I was commenting on the previous sentence, but in reality I was writing a new sentence altogether. I got you, Sipolla, and I’m onto you, you bearded bastard…