Baseball defeats Hofstra in elimination game, falls to Delaware to wrap up 2024 campaign

WILMINGTON, NC In their first matchup of the day, No. 5 William & Mary baseball (32-25) defeated No. 6 Hofstra (24-33) in dominant fashion, posting a 16-6 victory to advance in their second elimination game of the day. CAA Championship.

W&M took the early win over the Pride to match its 2023 campaign with 32 wins, its most since 2019, and post a multi-win postseason for the first time since the 2019 season. Head coach Mike McRae 90 have been secured^evictory at the helm of the program in his third year.

W&M found themselves on each side of a ten-run ballgame, falling in the second game of the day to close out the 2024 season to No. 4 Delaware (31-25), 18-8.

14 of the Tribe's 24 runs in Friday's two games came with two outs, including four in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two. W&M fought until the last pitch.

Game one against Hofstra

The Tribe exploded to tie the second-most points scored in a tournament game in program history, scoring just once more, in a 20-19 win over James Madison in 2013.

Five hits lifted the Tribe above the second offensive team record of the year, bringing the season total to 117 and surpassing the program record of 114 set in 2023.

In another record-breaking point, Henry Jackson gave up five runs and scored each of his times on base to tie the most runs scored in a single game for the sixth time in recorded program history.

In a game of threes, freshmen Anthony Greco posted his second three-hit game of the tournament, also adding a pair of runs and a pair of RBI. Joe Delossantos scored three hits and three runs Trey Christmas hit a three-run home run.

Each team scored three in the first inning as Hofstra took an early lead and the Tribe had an answer, stringing together three singles and a pair of walks. Jackson hit a leadoff single and Delossantos, Greco and Christian haste each achieved successively. Witt Scafidi recorded an RBI on a fielder's choice.

In the next eight innings, starter Owen Pierce, Travis Garnett And Reed Interdonato would combine to give up just three more runs, allowing the Pride to spread one-run innings.

The Tribe, on the other hand, posted lopsided numbers over multiple innings, with five runs in the fourth inning and six in the seventh.

Building on their power to get on base, the Tribe saw nine baserunners reach base in the bottom of the fourth inning, five of whom came around to score.

Christman walked twice in the frame, the first to start the Tribe's first attack. Jackson walked and Parker doubled him in; Delossantos was hit by a pitch and Greco singled for Parker; Delossantos scored on an error and Rush, Nate Goranson And Luca Trigiani walked before a wild pitch scored Rush.

In the fifth, Jackson was hit by his first of two in the game, which Greco followed with an RBI single that gave W&M a five-run lead, 9-4.

Interdonato entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and the bases loaded and quickly got two outs, leaving three behind. He retired the side in the seventh inning to make way for the Tribe's six-run bottom half.

Once again they started a big inning with a walk and Jackson and Parker pulled a pair on full counts. Delossantos scored each of his outfielder counterparts, ripping a double down the left line to lift the Tribe to a double-digit total, 11-5.

Rush and Goranson hit back-to-back singles before Christman launched his first hit of the day over the left field wall for a 10-run lead.

Both teams would add another run to the game, with the Pride getting one over with a sacrifice fly and the Tribe scrambling over the final run of the game with a wild pitch.

In just seven pitches, Interdonato called the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to cap off W&M's second straight victory to avoid elimination. The righty picked up his second save of the year and the Tribe advanced to play for the second time on Friday evening.

Game two against Delaware

Delossantos, a fifth-year senior and key component of the Tribe's offense, ended his career with a bang, hitting a three-run home run in his final collegiate at-bat. The outfielder is 32^NLcareer home run was the 14^eof his season, placing him eighth in both single-season and career home runs.

He scored his 69^erunning on the homer, Ben Parker jumped to fifth in points scored in a single season in program history.

The Tribe struggled early in the nightcap as Delaware W&M's early offensive pressure dug itself into a 13-0 hole in the first few innings. Scoring in each of the first four frames, the Blue Hens amassed a commanding 16-1 lead through four.

Gaining momentum in the middle innings, Alex Markus pitched a pair of scoreless innings out of the bullpen, the first of their kind for W&M in the game which the Tribe followed with three straight run-scoring innings to close the game.

A last-ditch effort of seven runs followed for the Green & Gold, as the team once again capitalized on their ability to capitalize on free passes. Josiah Seguin singled when Christ, Jackson and Greco all walked. Delossantos drove in the first of the inning on a sacrifice fly and Rush scored an RBI while carrying a pitch.

Delossantos' final career homer added three in the eighth, after scoring a run on a Delaware wild pitch. Sophomore Corey Adams drove in the final series of the 2024 season and scored Rush on a sacrifice fly for the decisive 18-8 final score.

The Tribe broke four program records and brought their season finale to 570 strikeouts, adding 95 to the previous season total, 10.13 K/9, 1.64 more than the previous best. A pair of records fell to the plate, with 356 walks and 121 HBPs, the latter of which was broken on the Tribe's final day of competition of the season.

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