NORFOLK, Va. – Tommy Bell drew a bases-loaded walk with a full count and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to break an eight-all tie and give the 21st-ranked Old Dominion baseball team a 9-8 win over East Carolina in a game that felt more like an NCAA Regional matchup than a midweek contest in March.
"We did just enough offensively to get back in it," head coach Chris Finwood said. "Really veteran at-bat by Bell to take those close sliders. A lot of guys swing at those, but he's just a guy with a lot of college baseball under his belt. Hard-fought win. I was really proud of our guys for hanging in there and finding a way to win."
Andy Garriola started the 10th-inning rally with a single through the hole in short and was followed by Matt Coutney, who hit a nearly identical ball past the shortstop and into left. Pinch hitter Ryan Teschko then struck out for the second out of the inning. With Brock Gagliardi at the plate, a wild pitch moved runners up to second and third, which led to an intentional walk being given to Gagliardi.
The spotlight then moved to Bell, who battled ECU reliever Danny Beal in a tough back-and-forth at-bat. ODU's veteran shortstop got ahead 2-1 before taking a strike to even the count. Bell then watched two straight pitches miss the strike zone for the game-winning free pass.
When Garriola crossed home to win it in the 10th it broke a scoreless streak of nearly five innings for the Monarchs, who had not scored since putting up four runs in the fifth.
The Pirates (9-8) led 2-0 after the first half inning on RBI singles from Alec Makarewicz and Carter Cunningham. In what would be a theme early on, the Monarchs allowed ECU to get going with a one-out fielding error from starting pitcher Blake Morgan.
Trice quickly halved the deficit with a solo home run in the bottom of the first. The preseason all-American finished the game 2-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and four driven in.
Morgan set down the Pirates in order in the second, allowing ODU to go ahead in the bottom of the frame. Bell tied the score at 2-2 with a solo blast into left – his third home run in the last four games. Thomas Wheeler followed with a walk and a stolen base then scored from second on a Chris Dengler single.
The Monarchs made two more miscues in the field in the third inning, allowing the Pirates to score four unearned runs and pull ahead 6-3. ECU then tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth.
Gagliardi stopped ECU's momentum with a home run in the fourth inning – ODU's third solo shot of the game. The big inning then came in the bottom of the fifth, when the Monarchs scored four to pull in front 8-7.
Dengler got Old Dominion going with a leadoff double and moved up 90 feet off a Kenny Levari single. After a pitching change, Trice delivered a three-run shot into right field. Garriola provided the exclamation point in the fifth with a no-doubt solo home run well beyond the field in left.
Lane Hoover made the score 8-8 when he singled home Bryson Worrell in the top of the sixth. From there, the game morphed into a cagey pitcher's duel. Finwood called on Jason Hartline to start the seventh inning, and the senior lefty negated a one-out single with a double play ball to Bell.
Garriola delivered a two-out double in the seventh but was stranded there. Hartline spun a perfect inning in the eighth, striking out two. The Monarchs had another opportunity to go ahead in the eighth. Robbie Petracci hit a leadoff double, but pinch runner Dominick Claxton was picked off at second base. The next two ODU batters went down quietly.
Noah Dean entered the game to strike out two batters in the top of the ninth. ODU went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth. Brad Dobzanski then recorded three quick outs in the top of the 10th to set up the walk-off magic in the bottom of the frame.
Garriola led all players with three hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Coutney and Dengler joined Trice with two hits apiece.
Morgan pitched three innings, allowing six unearned runs on eight hits, no walks, and one strikeout. Jacob Gomez worked three innings, surrendering two runs on four hits. Dobzanski (2-0) earned the win for the Monarchs.
Makarewicz was one of five ECU batters with two hits on Tuesday. He drove in two runs and scored twice.
Beal (2-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing one run on two hits with two walks in 0.2 innings of work.
ODU now shifts its attention to Conference USA play with a road series at Middle Tennessee this Friday through Sunday.
No. 21 Baseball Walks Off East Carolina in Extras, 9-8
