William & Mary alumnus Ben Williamson '23 was the hero of Game 4 of the World Series early Wednesday morning, delivering a walk-off RBI-single in the bottom of the 12^th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to stave off elimination.
 
The Rays trailed 3-2 to start the bottom of the 12th. Tampa Bay tied it up and had the bases loaded with no outs when Williamson came to the plate. Williamson, an elite contact hitter, put bat to ball on the first pitch he saw and delivered a hit to right field to score Nick Fortes.
 

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As Williamson crossed the first-base bag, he pulled off his helmet in elation as his teammates piled on him to celebrate. It was the Rays' first walk-off postseason victory since Game 4 of the 2020 World Series.
 
"These guys got us in the game and kept us in the game, and just to come through in that spot feels good," Williamson told Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal afterward.
 
Tampa Bay will look to keep the momentum going in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Brewers lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. 
 
"It just shows the resiliency of this group," Williamson said. "We continue to fight, and that's been the motto this series and the whole season, just fight."
 
Williamson started Games 1 and 3 of the World Series, becoming the first former Tribe player to compete in the Fall Classic since pitcher Vic Raschi with the New York Yankees in 1953.
 
He came off the bench in Game 4, however, and came through in a monumental way. Williamson, a right-handed hitter, swung at the first pitch he saw from southpaw reliever Shane Drohan and chopped the ball into the dirt right in front of the plate, lifting up a plume of chalk in the process.
 
The ball bounced hard into right field for the game-winning hit.
 
"Just be ready for the heater," Williamson told MLB Network when asked what was going through his mind before the pitch. "I was a little bit late on it and got lucky and found a hole."
 

"We continue to fight and that's been the motto of this series and this whole season" Ben Williamson talks with @Ken_Rosenthal after he walked it off for the Rays in Game 4 of the 2026 World Series https://t.co/i4QnaP8te1

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2026

It was a well-deserved moment in the spotlight for Williamson, his Rays teammates said.
 
"Ben's a grinder," Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson told WJLA, the Tampa NBC affiliate. "He's been grinding all year for us, not being the most highly touted guy, I guess you could say. Somebody in the shadows that's been big for us all year on the defensive side and the offense, and I'm so happy he got to have that moment for sure."