NORFOLK Va. – The Old Dominion baseball team scored 12 runs on 15 hits to defeat Norfolk State, 12-5 for the third consecutive time on Tuesday afternoon.
ODU improved to 3-0 on the year, while NSU dropped to 0-3 with the loss.
"We played good defense and swung the bats well," said head coach Chris Finwood. "Up and down the lineup we were solid. Pitching wasn't great today, we walked too many guys and gave up two strike hits."
Junior rightfielder Andy Garriola paced ODU's 15-hit performance by collecting five RBI, which was highlighted by a fourth inning double, knocking in three Monarch runs. The Sierra Madre, California native's five RBI was a career-high and he went 3-for-4 on the day.
Norfolk State's Dalton Barham (0-1) was charged with the loss, as he gave up four hits and two runs in the top of the third.
The Spartans struck first in the first inning, tacking on one run with a single off ODU starter Joey DeChiaro. Garriola put ODU on the board to even up the ballgame, 1-1, after the first inning. The Monarchs added additional cushion space in the second and third innings with a solo home run from sophomore Ryan Teschko and another Garriola RBI, leading, 4-1.
ODU exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, as four Monarchs notched hits in Carter Trice, Chris Dengler, Thomas Wheeler and Garriola, giving ODU a 8-2 lead heading into the fifth inning.
The Spartans responded with an Alsander Womack three-run home run, to make it a three-run game. The bottom of the fifth was another productive inning for the Monarchs as ODU tallied back-to-back doubles, followed by a Dengler triple, which scored one run. Wheeler and Tommy Bell provided ODU with two more runs, via a sacrifice fly and a single to third, respectively. ODU went into the sixth inning leading the Spartans, 11-5.
The Monarchs did not allow the Spartans to score the remainder of the game. ODU tacked on one more run in the top of the sixth with a single from pinch hitter Andrea Dalatri, who sent Teschko through home plate with an RBI single..
Senior Tom Scheffler, junior Brad Dobzanski and senior Brett Smith closed things out for the Monarchs throwing a combined 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball. Smith fanned two batters while on the mound for ODU. With the win, Trey Fisher tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball, facing five batters on the day.
"It was good to see Dobzanski, Scheffler and Smith throw, 7-8-9 and coming off arm injuries they are finally healthy. I thought their stuff looked good today, so it was nice to see," Finwood expressed.
Up Next
ODU will wrap up its series with the Spartans on Wednesday, Feb. 24 for a 2 p.m. pitch at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. Tommy Gertner is set to start on the mound of the Monarchs.
Baseball Tops Norfolk State, 12-5
