NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion baseball team fell to No. 20 Virginia in front of a crowd of 4,826 fans on Tuesday afternoon, as the Cavaliers avenged a 5-4 loss to the Monarchs in Charlottesville with an 8-4 victory at Harbor Park. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak over the defending National Champions, as the Monarchs fell to 25-16 on the season. With the win, the Cavaliers moved to 27-17 overall.
The Monarchs jumped out to the 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning after scoring their runs on four hits. Connor Myers led off with a standup double down the left field line and proceeded to score off a triple to left center from Jason McMurray. With one out on the board and runners on the corners, Justin Hayes singled up the middle to give ODU the 2-0 advantage. Walker blasted a two-out triple to left center to send home both Hayes and Seth Woodard, giving the Monarchs the 4-0 edge over the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers would then score at least a run in the next seven innings, while holding Old Dominion to three hits and no runs after retiring 20 of the next 26 batters to secure the 8-4 victory.
Myers led the Monarchs with a 2-for-4 showing with one run scored. Five other ODU players notched a hit, while Nick Walker added two RBIs to his stat line. Nick Hartman was hit with the loss, as he pitched one inning and allowed the go-ahead run.
Pavin Smith paced the Cavaliers, as he went 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBIs. Adam Haseley also went 3-for-4 and scored three runs, while Matt Thaiss put up a 2-for-4 showing with two runs and two RBIs. Tyler Shambora earned the win after going 4.1 innings for Virginia.
Old Dominion is back in action at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex for a three-game Conference USA series against the UAB Blazers this weekend. Friday’s game will begin at 6 p.m., Saturday will start at 3 p.m. and the final game will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Friday’s contest will be broadcast on the American Sports Network (tv only), while Saturday and Sunday will be streamed live through Monarch Media. Live stats will be available for each contest on odusports.com.
UVA| 001 121 111 - 8 14 0
ODU| 040 000 000 - 4 7 1
UVA| Bennett Sousa, Tyler Shambora (3), Kevin Doherty (7)
ODU| Joey Benitez, Morgan Maguire (4), Nick Hartman (5), Grayson Bailey (6), Culver Lamb (7), Jake Josephs (9), Brett Smith (9)
Win| Tyler Shambora
Loss| Nick Hartman
Save| Kevin Doherty
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