March 5, 2010
NORFOLK, Va. -- Junior Donnie Corsner (Va. Beach, Va.) found the gap in left center with one out in the bottom of the ninth to send home rookie Brent Frazier (Fairfax Station, Va.) to lift the ODU baseball Monarchs to a 1-0 victory over LaSalle on Friday afternoon at the Bud Metheny Stadium.
Lefthander Kyle Hald (Springfield, Va.) went the distance for ODU giving up just five hits in nine innings of work. Recording the complete game shutout, Hald struck out 11 batters for the second straight game, while walking just two. Hald improved to 3-0 this season with a 1.69 earned run average.
LaSalle and ODU entered the bottom of the ninth scoreless. Frazier came to bat for the Monarchs with one out and reached first on an error as the Explorer's second baseman Jeff Flax bobbled the ball. Returning to the top of the order, designated hitter Austin McGowan (Midlothian, Va.) continued the rally singling through the left side and placing ODU runner on first and second setting up Corsner for his second straight day of late inning heroics. Yesterday in the victory over Mt. St. Mary's, Corsner blasted a home run over the right field fence with two outs in the bottom of eighth to tie the game.
At the plate, Cornser finished the afternoon 2-for-3, while designated hitter McGowen and third baseman Jake McAloose (Va. Beach, Va.) each finished 2-for-4.
LaSalle put two men on base once, and that was in the sixth inning. Joe Bennie walked with one out and was later picked off first. John Malloy singled and was left stranded on first. Hald also picked off a runner in the seventh inning.
Only once in the game, the first inning did the Explorers have a runner reach second. That was Jeff Flax who singled, and was then sacrificed over to second.
The victory ups the Monarchs overall to 7-4 on the year, while LaSalle drops to 0-4. The Explorers' Pat Christensen picked up the loss.
Friday's game was the first of a three-game series with LaSalle. The series continues on Saturday with first pitch at 1 p.m.