NORFOLK, Va. – A strong effort by starting pitcher Jacob Gomez and the Old Dominion bullpen held one of the top offenses in the country to just two runs through nine innings, but a pair of 10th inning home runs allowed No. 17 Coastal Carolina to win the rubber match 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at Bud Metheny Ballpark.
Coastal's Ty Dooley led off the 10th with a solo shot to center field to give the Chanticleers (23-11, 11-4 Sun Belt) their first lead of the game at 3-2. Robert Cook retired the next two batters, but Graham Brown added some insurance with a two-out homer to left field.
Down to its last three outs, ODU got its leadoff man aboard as Thomas Wheeler walked on a full count. He moved up to second as Hunter Fitz-Gerald grounded out to second, but the Monarchs (24-11, 9-6) couldn't bring Wheeler home as Alex Bouche went down swinging and Logan Duffy struck out looking.
"It was a good ballgame and I thought we pitched really well," said head coach Chris Finwood. "We had some chances and just couldn't get a big hit. I thought their bullpen arms were really the best we've seen this year. Tough loss. Guys fought hard and we just came up short. We'll get back to work and get ready for a good week ahead with trips to VMI and App State."
Wheeler opened the scoring with a one-out line-drive homer to left in the bottom of the first. Coastal then evened the score at 1-1 in the second as Nick Lucky singled through the right side, stole second, and came around on a Dooley base hit. A Chris Dengler leadoff home run in the third put ODU back in front 2-1, but CCU tied the game again with a run in the fourth. Lucky singled, took second on a balk and then stole third. After Brown earned a base on balls, he got caught in a run down and was tagged out as Lucky scored on the play.
Neither side scored again until the deciding runs in the 10th. ODU had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth, but a Coastal escaped the frame with a pair of strikeouts. The Monarchs had another opportunity in the seventh as Josh Trujillo reached on a bunt single to first and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Dengler walked to give ODU another baserunner, but Luke Waters went down swinging and Dengler was thrown out trying to steal.
Fitz-Gerald represented the go-ahead run as he walked and stole second and third with two outs in the eighth, but Coastal was able to get the force out at second to keep it a 2-2 ballgame. CCU then looked to jump ahead in the ninth thanks to a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt. Cook needed just three pitches to strike out the next batter and induced a fly out to center field to get out of the frame.
Cook (2-2) took the loss after giving up the two runs on as many hits. He walked one batter and struck out a pair in 1.2 innings of relief. Gomez held the Chanticleers to two runs on four hits and two walks in what was just his second career start. He added three strikeouts to his totals.
Dengler led ODU at the plate, batting 2-for-2 with the long ball and one base on balls. Trujillo hit 2-for-4, Wheeler finished 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks, and Fitz-Gerald went 1-for-4 with one walk and two swiped bags.
The Monarchs head to Lexington, Virginia this Wednesday for the team's second meeting with VMI this season. ODU then continues conference play next weekend at App State.