NORFOLK, Va. – The 18th-ranked Old Dominion baseball team drove in four runs via the sacrifice fly and received runs-scoring singles from Kenny Levari and Tommy Bell in a 6-2 win over VMI on Tuesday.
With the wind blowing in and heavy, cool air taking over the area after first pitch, the Monarchs (17-2) were left to manufacture the offense rather than utilizing the big hits. ODU notched seven hits on Tuesday with only two going for extra bases and drew five walks in addition to being hit by a pitch four times.
The Monarchs struck first in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs on a pair of hits. Thomas Wheeler led off the bottom of the frame with a double and was followed by Jared Hancock, who was hit by a pitch. Josh Trujillo then moved both runners up 90 feet with a bunt. Bell then lifted a sacrifice fly into right field to score Wheeler. Levari followed with a crisp single into left that scored Hancock.
The Keydets (8-12) got a run back off ODU starter Blake Morgan in the top of the fourth. VMI led off with back-to-back singles before Morgan struck out Reeves Whitmore and retired Ryan Peterson with a fly ball, but the Monarch defense faltered behind him. Kenny Levari cleanly fielded a ground ball, but his attempt to get the final out of the inning at second base was not in time. With the bases now loaded, Morgan induced a weak dribbler to a hard-charging Carter Trice, who could not corral the ball which allowed an unearned run to come home.
That play ended the day for Morgan, who exited with two outs and the still loaded in the fourth. Jacob Gomez escaped the jam as quickly as possible with a line drive to Matt Coutney on his first pitch.
Morgan tossed 3.2 innings and allowed the one unearned run on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
The visitors tied the score at 2-all in the top of the fifth. Justin Starke laced a one-out hit into right field and moved up to second on an error, where he scored off a double from Will Knight.
The Monarchs went on top for good in their half of the fifth. With one out, Bell doubled down the line in left and advanced to third on a wild pitch, where he came home to score on a Levari sacrifice fly.
Four different pitchers from the ODU bullpen combined to throw four innings of two-hit ball to finish out the game. Trey Fisher erased a one-out single with a pickoff at first to face the minimum in the sixth. Likewise, Pete Nielsen negated a single with one out in the top of the seventh with a routine 4-6-3 double play.
Robbie Petracci gave the Monarchs more cushion with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to score Levari.
Brad Dobzanski worked around a two-out walk in the eighth before ODU scored two more runs on one hit in the bottom half of the inning. Wheeler and Hancock were hit by pitches to start the inning before moving up 90 feet on a balk. Trujillo scored Wheeler with a fly ball out before Bell singled up the middle to drive in pinch runner Dominick Claxton.
Jason Hartline needed only 10 pitches to retire the side in the top of the ninth.
Bell, Levari and Petracci each had two hits to pace Old Dominion with Bell and Levari sharing the game high with two RBIs.
Cole Garrett and Knight shared the game high with three hits for VMI.
Gomez (2-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits over 1.1 innings. Tyler Kaltreider (0-4) was tagged with the loss.
The Monarchs host Charlotte for three Conference USA games this Friday through Sunday.
No. 18 Baseball Manufactures Offense in 6-2 Win over VMI
