May 17, 2003
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Old Dominion Monarchs closed out their 2003 baseball season with a soggy 9-5 loss at James Madison Saturday afternoon. The game was called after 6 ˝ innings due to rain.
The Monarchs were paced by a pair of seniors; John Oehler went 3-for-4 with a double and twoRBI's, and first baseman Brandon LeNoir (Ocala, FL.) went 2-for-3 and drove in a run. Juniorinfielder Joe Moore (Woodbridge, VA.) also knocked in a run with a bases loaded walk in thesecond inning.
JMU senior third baseman Brent Metheny (Moorefield, W.Va./Moorefield) connected for a pair of home runs and tied a school record for career RBIs (197) in his final collegiate home game. Metheny blasted a three-run homer in the third inning that gave the Dukes an 8-2 lead. He launched a solo homer in the sixth to account for the final scoring. Metheny finished the day 2-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
The Dukes swept the three-game series and closed out the regular season with a five-game winning streak and a 29-25 overall ledger. JMU finished 13-7 in league play and will be the fourth seed for the OBX/CAA Baseball Championship (May 21-24) in Manteo, N.C. The Dukes will meet third-seeded William and Mary at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Coy Tillet, Sr. Field.
ODU ended its year 18-33 and did not qualify for the CAA tournament with a 5-15 league record.
Junior left-hander Kurt Isenberg (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) picked up the win and benefited from the shortened game. Isenberg, who wason a pitch count, improved to 8-7 and allowed four runs on six hits and four walks before being lifted after four innings. Senior right-hander Mike Trussell (Newport News, Va./Menchville) worked the fifth and sixth innings, yielding one run on one hit and two walks, and he fanned three. Senior Mitch Maley (Fairfax Station, Va./DeMatha) pitched a perfect seventh.
ODU freshman right-hander Wayne Renfro (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) was tagged with the loss. Freshman reliever Dana Arrowood (Woodbridge, Va./C.D. Hylton) held the Dukes in check for one run on two hits and no walks in the final three innings. Arrowood fanned three.