Liberty Snaps Tribe’s Five-Game Winning Streak

04/15/08 10:35PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary baseball team had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 13-3 loss to Liberty on Tuesday evening at Plumeri Park. It was just the fourth home loss of the season (20-4) for W&M and just its fifth non-conference defeat (15-5). Additionally, the College (25-11) has still won nine of its last 11 games.

Junior Ben Guez extended his hitting streak to 27 games with a single up the middle in the eighth inning, while senior Tim Park extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Junior Rob Nickle recorded a pair of RBI for the Green and Gold.

Liberty’s LHP Steven Evans (2-2) earned the win and had a no-hitter into the sixth inning until junior James Williamson broke it up with a one-out double to left.

Liberty took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning. Kenneth Negron led off the frame with a single to center. He moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and advanced to third on the play when Park’s throw to second got away. After Errol Hollinger drew a walk, P.K. Keller brought in Negron when he grounded out to short.

The Flames put seven runs across in the second to go ahead, 8-0. Cody Brown got things started with a single to right, and two batters later Joe Feeley drove him in with a double to left center. Aaron Phillips followed with a two-run blast over the left field fence. Negron, Keller and Garrett Young all singled to load the bases, and David Giammaresi hit a grand slam to left off a 1-0 pitch to punctuate the seven-run inning.

LU added a pair of runs in the sixth to take a 10-0 advantage. With freshman RHP Logan Billbrough on the mound in relief, Phillips recorded a leadoff double to left. Two batters later, Hollinger reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners. After senior LHP Pete Vernon entered the game in relief, Hollinger advanced to second on a wild pitch and Keller plated a run with a sacrifice fly to left. Hollinger scored the second run when Young reached on an error by junior Lanny Stanfield.

Liberty tallied two more runs in the seventh frame. Feeley registered a two-out double to right center and scored when Phillips singled to right. Negron drove in the second run with another single to right.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard with two runs in the seventh inning. Junior Mike Sheridan and Park recorded consecutive singles to start the frame, and both runners advanced when senior Paul Juliano grounded out to first. Nickle then drove in both runners with a two-out single to left.

The Flames tacked on another run in the ninth to go ahead, 13-2, when Cody Brown hit a one-out home run to left off a 2-1 pitch.

W&M put the contest’s final run across in the ninth when Juliano drove in senior Greg Maliniak with a single to right center.

The Tribe will return to action when it plays at Longwood on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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