NORFOLK, Va. - Taylor Ostrich drove in four runs, including the game-winner in the seventh inning while Connor Myers made a diving catch in deep center field to end the game with a runner earn third to give Old Dominion baseball a 9-8 win over Bryant Tuesday evening.
With the game knotted at eight in the bottom of the seventh after Bryant scored two runs in the top half of the inning, Justin Hayes led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hayes moved to third on a fly out by P.J. Higgins and he scored on an RBI double by Ostrich, who finished a single short of the cycle.
In the top of the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Joe Paparelli led off with a shot to center for the Bulldogs that Myers tracked down and made a diving catch just shy of the warning track.
The Monarchs took an 8-6 lead in the sixth inning on a pair of infield singles by Myers and Jason McMurray. The Bulldogs tied in the score in the seventh on a Josh Mullen RBI single and A.J. Zaronzy sacrifice fly.
The Monarchs got on the scoreboard first with a solo homer by Josh Eldridge, his second of the season.
Bryant came back with three runs in the third inning before ODU scored three more in the second highlighted by a two-run homer for Ostrich and a Nick Lustrino RBI double that scored Eldridge.
The Bulldogs tied the score briefly in the fourth on a Zach Wood sacrifice fly but ODU came right back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on a Matt Cogen RBI double and an Ostrich sacrifice fly.
Thomas Busbice pitched three innings for ODU to earn the win, giving up two hits, two runs and one earned run, while Adam Bainbridge got the save.
Ostrich and Josh Eldridge had three hits apiece for ODU while Matt Cogen and Nick Lustrino each had two hits.
Josh Mullen led the way for Bryant with a 4-for-5 day at the plate and three RBI.
ODU travels No. 1 Virginia tomorrow for the Cavaliers' home opener. Game time is 4 p.m. at Davenport Field. Listen to the game live on Monarch Media with Andy Mashaw providing the play-by-pay.
ODU VS. Virginia
ODU leads 30-26-2. Last year, Virginia the two schools split with top-ranked Virginia winning in Charlottesville, 7-1 and the Monarchs taking the game at Norfolk’s Harbor Park, 8-1 which snapped a four-game losing streak to UVa. This will be The Cavaliers home opener. Virginia is NO. 1 by USA Today Coaches, and NCBWA, No. 2 by Perfect Game and ranked 3rd by D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball.