NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion scored four runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally over Rutgers, 4-3, in walk-off fashion in the series finale on Sunday at the Bud Metheny Complex.
"The guys put together some good at-bats there in the ninth, especially with two strikes," said head coach Chris Finwood. "The ninth inning in college baseball games, anything can happen. And often times it does. The guys hung in there. I'm proud of them."
Will Morgan's two-RBI triple opened the scoring for Old Dominion (4-7) in the ninth. Matt Schwarz then tied the game with an RBI single, before Kyle Battle won it for the Monarchs with an RBI single to right field.
"I was struggling throughout the rest of the day," said Battle. "I tried to just clear my mind and hit something in the gap for the team."
The walk-off victory is the first for the Monarchs since April 15 of last season against LA Tech. Battle also had the walk-off hit in that game.
On the mound, Corey Klak earned the win with 2.1 innings of shutout relief. Klak worked out of a key bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth that kept the game at 3-0. Starting pitcher Morgan Maguire went a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out five.
"I thought Mo gave us a really good start," said Finwood. "Corey then gets out of that bases-loaded jam and that probably gave us a little momentum."
Hot-hitting Culver Lamb led ODU at the plate once again, going 3-for-4 for his fourth three-hit game already this season. Schwarz was the only other Monarch with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Rutgers (5-5), with victories on Friday and Saturday, still won the series, 2-1.
ODU returns to action on Tuesday against Norfolk State at 3 p.m. at The Bud.
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