BOONE, N.C. – A Jake Ticer two-run home run in the eighth gave Old Dominion baseball a 6-5 lead, but App State rallied with a two-run bottom of the ninth to claim the Sun Belt series opener 7-6 on Friday night at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
"It was a tough loss. The guys fought hard and came back a number of times, we just couldn't keep them from scoring when we scored. Have to wash this one off and come out ready to go tomorrow," said head coach Chris Finwood.
ODU and App State traded the lead five times in their first-ever meeting in conference play. The Monarchs (25-12, 9-7 Sun Belt) took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Thomas Wheeler was hit by a pitch with two outs and scored on a Hunter Fitz-Gerald double to left center.
The Mountaineers (18-17, 8-7) took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. Alex Reed led off with a base-hit to center field, Andrew Terrell walked and Hunter Wilder moved them both up with a sacrifice bunt. Later with two outs and the bases loaded, a Luke Drumheller double down the right-field line gave the hosts their first lead, 2-1.
A Ticer solo shot to right evened the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. ODU then plated two runs in the top of the fifth for the 4-2 advantage. Chris Dengler singled through the left side and advanced to second on a Luke Waters sacrifice bunt. After Kenny Levari walked, Dengler came around on a Thomas Wheeler single through the right side. Wheeler proceeded to steal second and Waters raced home on a Fitz-Gerald RBI ground out to second.
App State refused to go away though as the Mountaineers put together four doubles for three runs to jump ahead, 5-4. In the top of the eighth, Fitz-Gerald singled to right center and took second on a fielding error. Ticer then homered for the second time as his long ball to right field made it a 6-5 Monarch lead.
A pair of wild pitches in the home half of the eighth moved the potential tying run up to third, but with two outs Wilder went around for the strikeout swinging. Robert Cook struck out the first batter in the bottom of the ninth before giving up a single back up the middle. Drumheller fouled out, but Hayden Cross drew a walk and Jonathan Xuereb singled down the right-field line to drive in the tying run. Dylan Rogers then singled through the left-side as the Mountaineers earned the walkoff victory.
Cook (2-3) received the loss after giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, adding one strikeout in one inning of relief. Starter Blake Morgan threw 4.1 innings and was responsible for the other five runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Ticer (2-for-4) homered twice and drove in three runs. Logan Duffy finished 3-for-4 and Fitz-Gerald doubled, drove in two runs and scored another in a 2-for-5 outing. Thomas Wheeler scored once and earned one RBI in a 1-for-3 performance while Levari and Dengler both hit 1-for-4 with one run each.
ODU will look to even the series tomorrow when the teams return for a 3 p.m. start to Game Two.