No. 24 Old Dominion (5-1) at VCU (2-4)
Game Info – Tuesday, March 1 at 3 p.m.
Game Location – The Diamond (Richmond, Va.)
Follow – Live Stats | ESPN+ ($)
NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 24-ranked Old Dominion baseball team leaves the familiar surroundings of the Bud Metheny Ballpark for the first time this season for a Tuesday game at VCU, the reigning Atlantic 10 champions. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., and the game is being broadcast on ESPN+ ($).
Around the Horn
ODU won its second straight series to start the season, taking two out of three against Binghamton. The Monarchs lost the opener 4-1 but bounced back with 5-2 and 8-7 wins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Monarchs struck first on Saturday and never trailed. Andy Garriola drove home Kenny Levari with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Jared Hancock hit a run-scoring double in the fourth. Jason Hartline struck out a career-best eight batters over the final 3.2 innings for his second save of the season.
Old Dominion rallied late on Sunday, scoring seven unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 7-1 deficit. The Monarchs scored two runs off an error in the seventh before Robbie Petracci doubled in two more. After a scoreless top of the eighth from Brad Dobzanski, Carter Trice tripled home Levari to make it 7-6, setting up a go-ahead two-run home run from Garriola. Noah Dean then shut the door on the Bearcats in the ninth inning, striking out two.
Garriola hit 5-of-10 in the series with two home runs, five runs scored and four driven in. He was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs on Sunday.
Old Dominion's relievers combined for 18.1 innings against Binghamton and allowed five runs, three earned, on 12 hits with 18 strikeouts. The Monarchs bullpen threw six shutout innings while allowing just one hit on Friday.
Tommy Bell set the program record for most times being hit by a pitch in a career on Sunday. The senior from Kettering, Ohio has now been hit 43 times in his career.
Scouting VCU
The Rams went 38-16 last season, took home the A-10 Tournament crown and won a game against Campbell at the NCAA Starkville Regional. VCU is one of seven opponents on the ODU schedule that participated in the NCAA Tournament last season.
This year, the Rams check in at 2-4 with three of those four losses coming against Power 5 competition. Most recently, VCU dropped a pair of games at No. 3 Ole Miss.
Logan Amiss leads the Rams in batting average, hitting .391 (9-for-23), and has a team-best five doubles. Tyler Locklear is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with three homers, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored.
One of Campbell Ellis, Jack Masloff or Maddison Furman has started every game on the mound for VCU. All three have an ERA of 4.00 or greater. Both Ellis and Masloff have seven strikeouts. Chase Hungate has thrown six innings out of the bullpen for VCU and has yet to allow an earned run.
The Series
ODU owns an 89-59 edge over its in-state rival. The two sides split a pair of games last season with the road team winning both times.
ODU lost 12-5 on March 17. Matt Coutney hit a three-run home run in the loss. The Monarchs got revenge less than a week later with a 5-3 result. Old Dominion trailed 3-1 in the seventh inning before a Trice double tied the game. Bell then won it for the Monarchs in the eighth with a single into left field. ODU's bullpen spun 7.1 innings of shutout ball in that game, allowing just four hits in the process.
What's Next
The Monarchs return home to host Bryant for a three-game series starting on Friday.
Voucher Books!
The 2021-22 Old Dominion voucher book is available for sale on ynottix.com. Each voucher book contains 25 tickets and is priced at $50, which is a 60 percent savings off the single-game ticket price. Vouchers are good for any regular season home game played at the Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium. Vouchers can be presented at the gate for admission. Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $5.
Click here to purchase the 2021-22 ODU voucher book.
The Extra Finnings Podcast
The Extra Finnings Podcast is back for the 2022 season, which features an in-depth look at the ODU baseball program. Catch the most recent episode of the Extra Finnings Podcast, here.
No. 24 Baseball Visits VCU on Tuesday
