NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University Baseball scored 10 runs in the first inning and hung on to beat Saint Joseph's 13-11 Sunday afternoon at Bud Metheny Ballpark to complete the three-game sweep. ODU has now won 11 straight games.
St. Joseph's scored first for the first time in the series with two runs in the first on an infield single and an error.
ODU retook the lead immediately as Luke Waters and Hunter Fitz-Gerald started the bottom of the inning with walks and Jake Ticer laced a double to left center to tie the score at two. After a walk to Alex Bouche, Kenny Levari knocked in Ticer with an RBI single to give ODU a 3-2 lead. Thomas Wheeler followed with a run-scoring double and Robbie O'Neal and Camden Grimes delivered RBI ground outs. Chris Dengler followed with a two-out walk and Waters was hit by a pitch. Fitz-Gerald hammered a 3-0 fastball off the batter's eye in center for a 9-2 ODU lead and Ticer hit a homer to right for a 10-run first inning.
St. Joe's scored three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to make the score 10-6 and loaded the bases in the seventh before Robert Cook got a strikeout to end the threat.
Old Dominion added a run in the bottom of the seventh when Grimes led off with a walk and was pinch-ran for by Josh Trujillo. Dengler bunted Trujillo to second and he scored on an RBI single by Waters to make the score 11-6 Monarchs. Ticer scored Waters with an RBI single to give ODU a 12-6 lead.
The Hawks scored four in the eighth to make it a 12-10 game.
The Monarchs added a run in the eighth on a bases loaded walked by Dengler to make the score 13-10.
St. Joe's scored a run in the ninth and loaded the bases, but Vincent Bashara got the final out on a grounder to Dengler to record his first career save.
Robert Cook earned the win, pitching 2.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk.
Ticer finished the day 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI's, while Thomas Wheeler went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Old Dominion closes an eight-game homestand on Tuesday hosting Norfolk State at 3 p.m.
Baseball Sweeps St. Joseph's With 13-11 Win
Jake Ticer and Hunter Fitz-Gerald