WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Courtesy of William & Mary Athletics) – William & Mary baseball (25-12, 8-4 CAA) played a 13-inning midweek game against No. 9 East Carolina (28-8, 8-4 AAC) on Tuesday, taking on its second top-10 opponent in as many midweeks in front of a sellout crowd at Plumeri Park.

The Tribe dropped the contest, 14-13, falling just a run short of the No. 9 Pirates.

Going tit-for-tat, a pair of scoreless extra innings and a pair of 11^th-inning runs by each team produced an 11-11 game heading into the final frame. The Pirates tacked on three runs in top of the 13^th and the host team only had a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to answer.

At the end of each inning, neither team held more than a one-run lead the entire contest. Seven scoring innings produced two Tribe leads, two Pirates leads, and three tie ballgames, while only one inning featured one team scoring without the other – a lone Tribe run in the third frame.

A never-give-up mentality prolonged the game for the Tribe as eight of their 13 runs crossed the plate with two outs on the board.

For just the 20^th time in program history and the first time since 2019, the Tribe extended a game into the 13^th inning as they played a five-hour and thirty-minute midweek game.

Henry Jackson went 3-for-5 at the plate with three walks to reach base six times. Fellow grad student Ben Parker also reached six times, drawing a season-high four walks with a pair of hits.

Luca Trigiani and freshman Trey Christman each tallied three hits in the contest, Trigiani to tie his season high and Christman to set a career high.

Nate Goranson’s three RBI led the team as he tallied two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch while smashing his fifth home run of the year.

Trigiani set a new program single-game record with nine at-bats as he and Joe Delossantos, with eight of his own, each eclipsed the previous highest mark of seven. 

With 44 total runners left on base between the two teams, this proved to be the deciding factor in the game, as the Tribe left multiple runners on base in each of the extra frames. 

The game got off to a loud start as the teams combined for seven runs in the first inning alone. The Pirates scored four, tallying three extra base hits and a two-out RBI single to tack on four runs in the top half of the opening inning.

The Tribe made its free bases count in the first, returning with three runs of their own. Lucas Carmichael was hit by the first pitch to lead off the Green & Gold’s half and Ben Parker followed with a single to center field. Three-straight walks by Joe Delossantos, Christian Rush and Jackson loaded the bases and produced a pair of runs. Following an East Carolina pitching change, Goranson was hit by a pitch to drive in the third run.

Travis Garnett entered on the mound for the Tribe in the second and retired the side in order. He tossed another scoreless frame in the third, allowing a pair of baserunners, but stranding them on his second swinging strikeout.

Three back-to-back to-out singles by Trigiani, Christman and Kevin Francella in the bottom of the third loaded the bases and Carmichael drew a full-count walk to send Trigiani home for a 4-4 tie.

In the fourth, a pair of singles and a Tribe error allowed two more Pirates to score, breaking the tie to take a 6-4 lead.

Pinch hitting, Jerry Barnes III dropped a first-pitch single to center field and Nate Goranson also took a swing at his first pitch, launching a two-out, two-run home run over the left field wall to tie the game once again, 6-6.

Trigiani singled and stole second to put a runner in scoring position for Christman, who laced a single to center field, just out of reach of the Pirates’ airborne second baseman to take the first lead of the contest over the No. 9 team.

Continuing to trade runs, ECU got another across in the sixth inning, scoring an error-aided run on a sacrifice fly. The Tribe answered with an error-aided run of their own as a Goranson first-pitch single drew an errant throw from the third baseman, allowing Jackson to come home, on base a single of his own. The Green & Gold’s lead stood through six.

Luke Calveric entered the game in the seventh with a pair of baserunners on and one out as he retired the next two Pirates to hold the Tribe’s lead. Owen Pierce matched this effort in the eighth, stranding one for the second-straight scoreless frame.

In the ninth, the Pirates plated two to take back their lead over the Tribe, 9-8.

The bottom of the frame saw the Tribe once again take advantage of Pirate mistakes as a pair of walks and wild pitches put a pair in scoring position. Trigiani drew an error by the Pirate shortstop to plate Jackson and tie the game, 9-9.

Pierce tossed his second scoreless inning in the 10^th, striking out the side to hold the tie ballgame.

Heading into extras the teams traded runs in the 11^th, each scoring two. Trigiani and Jackson each singled and Christman loaded the bases with a full-count walk. Carmichael wore a pitch and Parker walked, each for RBI. With 11-11 score, the Tribe lived on.

Nick Lottchea made quick work of the Pirates’ lineup in the 12^th inning, allowing one baserunner, but stranding him with a pair of swinging strikeouts.

In the 13^th, the Pirates plated three to take a 14-13 lead, and the Tribe needed to get three back to stay alive.

Three back-to-back wild pitches scored Corey Adams and Carmichael to bring the Green & Gold within one.

With the bases loaded on three walks, the final out was grabbed by the Pirates’ centerfielder at the warning track to end the game, 14-13.

Up Next
The Tribe will return to the road to continue CAA play at Charleston on Friday-Sunday, April 19-21, before coming home to Plumeri Park for a midweek matchup against VMI at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23.