After dropping two non-conference games during the week, William and Mary completed its eight-game road trip with a sweep of Colonial Athletic Association foe Northeastern over the weekend in Boston, Mass. to move into second place in the CAA standings.
Stellar pitching was the story of the game one Friday night as the Tribe (20-20, 9-5 CAA) squeaked out a 2-0 victory. Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Brown mowed through the Huskies’ lineup, striking out eight in his eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits and a walk. Brown was eventually credited with his third win of the season.
The College did little to support Brown’s impressive work on the mound as Northeastern (19-19, 7-7 CAA) starter Aaron Civale kept the Tribe scoreless until the top of the eighth inning. Sophomore second baseman Cullen Large reached base with two outs on a single, going to third on senior first baseman Charley Gould’s single in the next at-bat. With junior designated hitter Ryder Miconi at the plate, a passed ball allowed Large to scamper home to break the 0-0 deadlock. Civale shouldered the loss for the Huskies, going eight innings while surrendering just the one unearned run, striking out 10.
Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Brown mowed through the Huskies’ lineup, striking out eight in his eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits and a walk. Brown was eventually credited with his third win of the season.
The Tribe added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, a solo home run off the bat of senior center fielder Josh Smith doubling the slim lead. Senior right-hander Joseph Gaouette struck out the side in the bottom half of the frame to close out the 2-0 shutout, his seventh save of the campaign.
The Tribe picked up where they left off on Saturday, defeating Northeastern 8-5. The College jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the game, a Large two-run homer in the third followed by two more runs in the fifth, driven in by Gould and Miconi, respectively.
The Huskies scored their only runs of the series in the bottom of the fifth inning, chasing freshman left-handed starting pitcher Bodie Sheehan after just four and one-third innings. Senior right-hander Mitchell Aker was sent to the mound to calm the storm with the score at 4-3, but he allowed two singles, which resulted in two more Huskies runs, both attributed to Sheehan. After the rocky start, Aker settled in and tossed three and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief, claiming his second win of the season.
Down by a run, the Tribe offense responded by tallying twice in the seventh to re-claim the lead and twice more in the eighth to give the game its 8-5 scoreline. In the seventh, a bases-loaded walk by Smith pushed across the tying run, followed by freshman third baseman Zach Pearson’s go-ahead RBI single. Miconi increased the advantage to three in the eighth with a two-run double, and Gaouette put the game to bed with another scoreless ninth for his eighth save.
The Huskies scored their only runs of the series in the bottom of the fifth inning, chasing freshman left-handed starting pitcher Bodie Sheehan after just four and one-third innings. Senior right-hander Mitchell Aker was sent to the mound to calm the storm with the score at 4-3, but he allowed two singles, which resulted in two more Huskies runs, both attributed to Sheehan. After the rocky start, Aker settled in and tossed three and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief, claiming his second win of the season.
The College finished the sweep on Sunday with another shutout, outlasting Northeastern 3-0. Junior right-hander Dan Powers got the start for the Tribe and did not disappoint, going seven innings and giving up five hits and three walks while striking out four. With the win, Powers is not tied for third in the CAA with six victories.
Smith provided the firepower on offense in the series finale, driving home all three runs. In the seventh, he clubbed his second home run of the weekend, a two-run shot which brought home Gould, who had led off the inning with a single. Gould also scored in the ninth, once again beginning the inning with a single and then advancing to second on a balk. Smith did the rest, punching a single into left field to drive home the preseason conference player of the year and upping the Tribe lead to 3-0.
Smith provided the firepower on offense in the series finale, driving home all three runs.
With Gaouette unavailable after two consecutive days of work, sophomore right-handers Charlie Fletcher and Robert White kept the Huskies off the board in the eighth and ninth, White earning his second save. With the sweep, the Tribe now sits in second place in the CAA, only behind reigning conference champions North Carolina-Wilmington.
The College returns home to Plumeri Park for seven consecutive games, starting with a midweek matchup Wednesday with in-state opponent Liberty. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.