WILLIAMSBURG-It wasn't much of a winning streak anyway.
After sweeping three games against Bucknell over the weekend, the Virginia baseball team's attempt to continue its victorious ways fell short yesterday as the Cavaliers' fielding and pitching woes resurfaced in a 9-3 loss at William & Mary.
The Cavs (3-7-1) committed three errors in a three-run Tribe fifth, meaning only four of the seven runs allowed by junior lefthander Brandon Creswell were earned.
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"We were pretty embarrassed that we didn't play the defense that we wanted to play and we probably didn't throw the ball as well as we wanted to either," Virginia Coach Dennis Womack said.
In the bottom of the fifth, with the Tribe (10-2) holding a slim 2-1 margin, the Virginia defense handed William & Mary the runs that would win the game.
With one out, Tribe third baseman Stephen Booker reached on an error by Cav second baseman Dan Street. Charles Wilson followed with a single and continued on to second on center fielder Michael Floyd's error.
Designated hitter Rick Stephenson lined an infield single off Creswell's foot to plate the tying run for William & Mary. Michael Brown's sacrifice fly brought in two runs, as third baseman Luis Giraldo misjudged the relay throw from Floyd and the Tribe took a 4-2 lead.
"I think we lost focus that inning and they got the momentum they needed," Creswell said.
Creswell (0-3), a native of nearby Newport News, started off the contest with a perfect first inning, but after Mike O'Kelly's home run in the second and the collapse of the Virginia defense three innings later, the southpaw could not keep the Tribe batters in check.
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William & Mary lefthander Robert Jones (4-1) allowed only two earned runs in six and a third innings. In the seventh, he moved to designated hitter and went 2-for-2 with an RBI, raising his batting average to a team-high .522.
"He made enough good pitches when he had to get himself out of tough spots," Tribe Coach Jim Farr said. "Our offense gave him some run support and definitely gave him a good cushion."
Though Creswell took the loss for the Cavaliers, he didn't get much help from his offense. Whenever it seemed as though Virginia might make a dent in William & Mary's large lead, a Cav miscue squelched the rally. In the fifth, right fielder Ben Himes was caught stealing and in both the sixth and seventh, LaVigne hit into double plays to bring Virginia's building momentum to a halt. Two of the three Cavalier runs came after the Tribe opened up a 9-1 lead with a four-run fourth inning.
"Probably the turning point of the ballgame was in the seventh when we're up 9-1 and [Tribe relief pitcher Ben] Shepard comes in and gets a double play ball," Farr said.
In the sixth, Cav left fielder Ryan Kalamaya scorched a ball down the third-base line that was mishandled by Booker, allowing Giraldo to score. An inning later, catcher Jon Benick lined a shot to right field to score Floyd. Benick and first baseman David Stone were the lone Cavaliers to register multiple hits against the Tribe duo of Jones and Shepard.
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