WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Junior All-American shortstop Todd Frazier (Toms River, N.J.) hit a pair of home runs and junior designated hitter Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) recorded a three-run blast to lead the Rutgers baseball team to a 15-8 victory over William & Mary Saturday afternoon at Plumeri Park, evening the series at a game apiece.
Rutgers (1-1) and William & Mary (1-4) exchanged leads in the first two innings. The Scarlet Knights pushed across four runs in the first frame thanks to a Ryan Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.) RBI single to score Mike Bionde (Pompton Plains, N.J.) (double) and Gossard's three-run home run to left field.
The Tribe countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning on a passed ball with the bases loaded and a two-out, two-run single by Brent McWhorter.
The Scarlet Knights built a two-run advantage with a run in the second when Luis Feliz (New Brunswick, N.J.) singled and later scored on a Mike Bionde (Pompton Plains, N.J.) single up the middle. RU threatened for more, loading the bases with one out but Tribe starter Jimmy Drury got Dave Williams (Franklin, N.J.) to hit into an inning-ending double play.
William & Mary took its first and only lead of the contest with three runs in the bottom half of the second to give them a 6-5 advantage.
Following a scoreless third, the Scarlet Knights re-gained the lead on a Frazier opposite field two-run home run in the fourth and never relinquished it. RU posted another two runs in the fifth when Frank Meade (Linden, N.J.) brought home Williams (leadoff double) and later scored himself on a Tom Edwards (Caldwell, N.J.) sacrifice fly.
Bionde drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, moved over to third on a Williams double and scored on a Meade sacrifice fly to push RU's lead to 10-6.
Rutgers ballooned its lead to 14-6 with four runs in the eighth inning off newly-inserted William & Mary reliever Pat Kantakevich. The Scarlet Knights manufactured its first run of the inning when Frazier was hit to leadoff the frame, stole second, moved over to third on a Bionde sacrifice bunt and scored on a Ryan Hill single. Hill came around to score on an error later in the inning and Tim Querns (Cherry Hill, N.J.) slapped a two-out double to right field to score the final two runs of the inning.
Frazier drilled a line drive over the left-field fence in the ninth for his second home run of the contest, a solo shot that made it 15-6 in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
Red-shirt freshman Dennis Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.) made his collegiate debut for the Scarlet Knights, but was replaced by freshman Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.) in the second inning after giving up six runs (five earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. Gaynor, who was also making his collegiate debut on Saturday, worked 6.1 scoreless innings to pick up the win, allowing six hits, while striking out four to hold William & Mary at bay while the RU offense went to work. The Rutgers defense turned four double plays on the day - all with Gaynor on the mound.
William & Mary's Greg Sexton hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning off reliever Chris Lillis (Fair Haven, N.J.), who replaced Gaynor to begin the inning, to make it 15-8.
Drury (0-1) was chased out after four innings after surrendering nine runs on nine hits. The Tribe used four relievers the rest of the way, combining for just one strike out, while giving up the final six runs.
Eight of Rutgers' nine starters registered at least one hit. Frazier (2-for-4) and Gossard (1-for-4) led RU with three RBI apiece. Williams and Feliz each went 3-for-5 on the day.
Rutgers will wrap up it series with William & Mary on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Plumeri Park. Senior righty Steve Healing (Brick, N.J.) will get the start for the Scarlet Knights against Tribe freshman righty Kevin Landry.
