Friday, March 23, William and Mary (14-11, 5-4 CAA) defeated Monmouth (9-11, 2-7 CAA) 8-3 at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Friday night’s game marked the Tribe’s fourth win in its last five games, giving the Green and Gold some much needed mid-season momentum going into their weekend series against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponent Monmouth.
The Tribe’s offense was ready to rock from the get-go. In the bottom of the first, senior outfielder Joe Delossantos and senior catcher Max Winters both got on base with consecutive two-out singles. Although neither runner scored, the consistent offensive production in the first inning was just the beginning of a long night filled with hits for the Tribe.
After a quick top of the second inning, the Tribe’s offense picked up right where it left off in the first. Freshman Tank Yaghoubi began the home-half of the second with a single up the middle, which freshman infielder Corey Adams followed with a single of his own. After freshman first baseman Jerry Barnes III drew a walk, the Tribe found themselves with bases loaded and no outs – the perfect recipe for some runs.
In the very next at-bat, sophomore infielder Luca Danos began the scoring for the Green and Gold, grounding into a fielder’s choice and giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead with only one out and runners on first and third. Sophomore outfielder Lucas Carmichael then doubled down the left field line, plating another run and advancing two more Tribe runners into scoring position. Senior third baseman Ben Williamson grounded out and drove a run in, leaving Carmichael at third for Winters to drive in with his second single of the day in the very next at-bat. Junior designated hitter Nate Goranson capped off the inning with yet another single, extending the Tribe’s early lead to 5-0.
In the second inning alone, William and Mary combined for five hits, five runs, and successfully batted around the lineup.
On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore pitcher Nate Knowles limited Monmouth’s offense to just one run in three innings of work. Knowles, who earned the win for Friday’s game, now carries a 3-2 record on the season with an impressive 2.77 ERA.
In the top of the third, the Hawks’ bats slowly began to wake up, scoring one run on a hit batter, a walk and a single. The Tribe wasted no time making up for it, and in the bottom half of the inning, added on one more run of their own after a Danos sacrifice fly brought Adams in from third.
In the middle innings, both teams’ offense went silent. From the top of the fourth to the bottom of the seventh, the Green and Gold managed only three hits, none of which scored runs. In that same span, Monmouth matched the Tribe with three hits as well, but managed to tack on one unearned run in the top of the fifth.
The Tribe went into the bottom half of the eighth with a 6-2 lead, and with the heart of the lineup due up, the bats at Plumeri finally woke up again. Williamson led off the inning with a hard hit single up the middle, bringing Delossantos up to the plate with a runner on and no outs. Delossantos, who already had three hits on the day, attacked the first pitch he saw and crushed his third home run of the season to extend the Green and Gold’s lead to 8-2.
In a last chance effort, the Hawks managed to score one more run in the top of the ninth. The Tribe lead was too large, and after the final out was recorded on Friday night, William and Mary secured an important first win in its CAA weekend series.
On Saturday, the Tribe fell 14-12 to the Hawks to even the series, but won on Sunday after a strong pitching performance from three different players. The Tribe have won two of three CAA series this season and currently sit fourth in the league’s standings.
The Green and Gold are back in action on March 28 against Campbell at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
