William and Mary (3-4) completed the three-game sweep against Fairleigh Dickinson (1-3) this weekend in its first home games of the season, winning 12-3, 16-8 and 9-2 over the course of the series. The Tribe only trailed for one inning during the three games, putting on a dominant performance.
After the poor weather on Friday caused the first game of the series to be rained out, the game was pushed to Saturday, creating a doubleheader. This new development didn’t hinder the College, as it started off the first game with an offensive barrage, notching four runs in the first inning alone, thanks in part to back-to-back doubles by sophomore Jack Cone and second baseman junior Matt McDermott.
The College didn’t get any more offense going until the bottom of the fourth, where excellent baserunning by Cone saw him score on a wild pitch, making the score 5-0. The next inning saw the Tribe take advantage of the opposing pitcher’s struggles. After senior outfielder Brandon Raquet walked, then advanced to second because of a wild pitch, sophomore designated hitter Cole Ragone drove him in with a single.
On the next at-bat, freshman third baseman Ben Williamson was hit by a pitch, and after another wild pitch advanced both runners to second and third senior catcher Matthew Trehub brought them both in with a single to right field, giving the Tribe an 8-0 lead.
Baseball isn’t just about offense though. Redshirt senior starting pitcher Chris Farrell pitched five innings, giving up no runs and only four hits, while striking out seven. After Farrell came out at the end of the fifth inning, freshman Matt Howat and freshman Tom Mayar closed out the game, combining to pitch the last four innings. Even though Farleigh Dickinson would score three runs off Howat in the eight, it was too late for the Knights. The College would win the game 12-3, with Farrell getting his first win of the season.
The second game of the Saturday doubleheader got off to a less than ideal start for the Tribe. Fairleigh Dickinson was able to get a 1-0 lead in the first inning after a single to right field drove in a runner from third. It looked like the Knights were going to do more damage in the first inning after loading the bases, but the College’s starting pitcher junior Justin Pearson was able to get out of the jam with a timely groundout to third to end the inning and only give up one run.
The Tribe would respond in the second inning, as Ragone scored off a sacrifice fly by graduate transfer Carlos Garrido. A single later in the inning would give the Tribe the 2-1 lead, which they never relinquished. After the teams went back and forth in the next couple innings, the Tribe offense exploded for 10 runs in the sixth.
Sophomore Hunter Hart got the scoring started, driving in two runs with a single to center field. A few batters later, after a pitching change by Farleigh Dickinson, Garrido sent a double down the right field line, bringing two more Tribe players home, and extending the lead to 10-3. After loading the bases, the pitcher for the Knights would walk in three more runs. When the inning finally ended, the Tribe had a 16-3 lead and control of the game.
Farleigh Dickinson would score five more runs over the next three innings, but they were not able to threaten the Tribe. The College won the second game by a final score of 16-8. Sophomore Rojo Prarie, who pitched in relief for the Tribe, got the win, giving up one hit and no runs in 1.1 innings. The 16 runs were a season high for the Tribe, and Hart was the top performer, notching four RBI’s in the game.
The final game of the series was another easy win for the Tribe. The first inning saw the College once again get off to a fast start. After Williamson walked and sophomore Matt Thomas singled, Raquet smacked a triple down the left field line, scoring both runners and giving the College a 2-0 lead.
Raquet recorded three triples over the course of the three games, adding to the Tribe’s nine total triples as a team. Farleigh Dickinson would not score a run off of Cone until the fifth inning, where they were only able to get one run. The Tribe would also score in the fifth inning, as junior David Hogarth drove in Ragone with a sac fly, and later in the inning junior Tyler Solomon stole home, making the score 5-1. The Knights would only score one more run, and the College would get the win by a score of 9-2. Cone would record his first win of the season, after pitching six innings, giving up three hits and one run. A two-way player, Cone also recorded four hits and three RBI in the series.
The wins were the first of the season for the Tribe after it dropped its first away games to tough opponents. The College plays in-state rival Virginia on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. in Charlottesville.