W&M Sweeps Series Against VCU

04/19/08 11:55PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Playing in front of the second-largest crowd in the history of Plumeri Park (829), the William and Mary baseball team won both games of a doubleheader against Virginia Commonwealth University on Saturday to earn a series sweep. The College won the seven-inning opener, 8-6, before claiming a 13-7 triumph in the second game.

With the victories, the Tribe (29-12, 13-7) moves into third place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. Additionally, W&M has now won 13 of its last 15 games and improves to 11-1 versus conference teams at Plumeri Park (23-4 in all home games).

“We did an outstanding job all day long,” Head Coach Frank Leoni said. “Our pitchers threw strikes, and our hitters executed. We did an excellent job persevering and earned an important conference series sweep.”

Junior Ben Guez extended his hitting streak to 31 games, while senior Tim Park has now hit safely in 18 consecutive contests.

Junior Mike Sheridan came up big in the first game, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Park hit a home run and tallied three RBI, while junior James Williamson drove in a pair of runs.

A number of W&M players posted impressive efforts in the second game, as senior Greg Maliniak, classmate Paul Juliano, Sheridan and Park all went 3-for-5. Maliniak drove in three runs and scored twice, while Park had a pair of RBI and three runs scored. Juliano also recorded three runs scored.

Sophomore RHP Kevin Landry (2-0) earned the win in the opener, pitching 5.0 innings with just one earned run allowed on five hits. Senior RHP Pat Kantakevich closed out the victory for his seventh save this season, moving into a tie with Chris Ray for fourth on the program’s single-season list.

The Rams (10-23, 3-11) took a 1-0 lead in the first game with a run in the top of the first inning. M.L. Morgan led off the frame with a single up the middle, and Richard Gonzalez followed with a walk to put two runners aboard. After Jared Bolden flew out to right, R.J. Schenk drove in a run with a double to right.

W&M answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Tyler Stampone drew a leadoff walk, and Guez moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Sheridan then tied the game with a RBI single up the middle.

The Tribe took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the third inning. Stampone and Guez registered consecutive single to start the frame, and Sheridan followed with a RBI double to center. Park brought in the second run when he grounded out to first, and Maliniak plated Sheridan with a single to right. Junior Rob Nickle walked and Juliano reached on a bunt single to load the bases with just one out, but W&M was unable to put any more runs across.

The College extended its advantage to 6-1 in the fourth inning when Park hit a two-run home run. With two outs, Sheridan singled to right and Park followed with a blast over the center field fence.

The Green and Gold added a pair of runs in the fifth for a seven-run advantage. Nickle got things started with a single through the right side, and Juliano followed with a walk. After junior Lanny Stanfield moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, Darryl Stringfield entered the game in relief for starting pitcher Ian Thomas. Williamson then plated both runners with a single up the middle.

VCU put five runs across in the seventh but was unable to complete the rally. Joe Van Meter hit a leadoff ground rule double to right center, and Morgan followed with a walk. After Gonzalez drove in Van Meter with a single to left, Jared Bolden hit a three-run blast to left off a 2-1 pitch. R.J. Schenk followed with a solo home run over the right center field fence, which brought Kantakevich in out of the bullpen. Chris Jackson recorded a one-out single and advanced into scoring position on two groundouts, but Kantakevich preserved the victory.

As was the case in the opening game, VCU tallied a run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Bolden and Schenk registered consecutive singles to put runners on the corners. Bolden then scored the contest’s first run on a wild pitch.

The Rams put a pair of runs across with two outs in the third frame to go ahead 3-0. Gonzalez got things started with a single, and Bolden drove him in with a double to deep center. Schenk followed with a RBI single through the right side to score the second run of the inning.

W&M got on the scoreboard with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Williamson and Juliano started the frame with consecutive singles to put runners on the corners. Williamson scored on a wild pitch, while Juliano moved into scoring position on the play. After moving to third on a groundout by Stampone, Juliano crossed the plate when Guez grounded out to second.

The College pushed the lead to 7-3 with five runs in the fifth. Juliano led off the frame with a single up the middle, and Stampone moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Guez was hit in the helmet by a pitch to put two runners aboard, Sheridan drove in a run with a single to right. Park followed with a single through the left side that brought in two more runs. A single through the right side by Maliniak plated another score, while Stanfield completed the big inning with a RBI double to right.

The Tribe added a run in the sixth inning. Juliano led off the frame with a triple to right, and Stampone drove him in with a sacrifice fly to center.

VCU got three runs back in the seventh to cut the margin to 8-6. With one away, Morgan and Gonzalez recorded back-to-back doubles to score the first run. Bolden followed with a deep two-run blast over the right field fence.

W&M responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to pull back ahead by a comfortable margin, 10-6. With RHP Robbie Andrews on in relief of starter Phillip Deane, Park and Maliniak registered a pair of doubles to tally a score. A two-out double by Williamson plated Maliniak for the second run.

The Rams scored their final run of the game in the eighth. Wright reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Van Meter then drove in Wright with a single to shallow right.

The Tribe tacked on three more runs in the eighth to build a 13-7 cushion. With one out, Guez extended his hitting streak with a single through the left side. Sheridan followed with a ground-rule double to left center. Two runs then came in when Park grounded to third and Jackson’s throw to the plate got away. Maliniak brought in the third run of the frame with a single down the right field line.

The Tribe will return to action when it plays at 16th-ranked Virginia on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score