NORFOLK, Va. – After defeating Texas State 2-1 to even the Sun Belt series at a game apiece, Old Dominion baseball dropped the second game of its Saturday doubleheader 12-11 in extra innings as the Monarch rally fell just short at Bud Metheny Ballpark.
Game One of the twin bill was a pitcher's duel as both starters proved effective. Sam Armstrong (8-1) would edge out TXST's Tony Robie (5-2) though as the junior from Wantage, New Jersey held the Bobcats (29-16, 12-9 Sun Belt) to one run on four hits and one walk, adding four strikeouts to his totals in six innings of work. John Holobetz then tossed three innings of shutout ball to pick up his fifth save of the season. Holobetz scattered two hits, walked one and struck out three.
Scoreless through four innings, the visitors opened the scoring in the fifth as Rashawn Galloway led off with a double to right center and came around on a Cade Manning single to the gap in right. The lead was short-lived though as the Monarchs (28-15, 11-10) answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Jay Tarkenton (1-for-3) hit a one-out double to left center and then scored on a Thomas Wheeler (1-for-3) double down the first base line. Wheeler moved up to third on a Robbie O'Neal fly out to center and then scored the deciding run on a Chris Dengler (1-for-3) bloop single to shallow right center.
Jose Gonzalez looked to even the score in the top of the eighth as he hit an 0-1 pitch deep to right center, but Luke Waters made the catch at the wall to rob him of the home run. Holobetz then retired the Bobcats in order in the top of the ninth.
ODU went up 2-0 early in the second game. Tarkenton (1-for-6) led off the bottom of the second with a base hit to left center, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the TXST catcher. He ran home on a Tyler Wheeler (2-for-4) double down the left-field line, and a fielding error on the play allowed Wheeler to reach third. Dengler (2-for-5) followed with another double, this one to the gap in left.
From there, the Bobcats took over with crooked numbers in the third, fourth and fifth innings. In the third, an ODU error, a walk, a couple of wild pitches and a double allowed TXST to jump ahead 3-2. The guests then pushed across another five runs on four hits and an error in the top of the fourth. TXST then went up 10-2 in the fifth as Manning doubled in a run and Ryan Leary followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Monarchs started to chip away at the Bobcat lead in the seventh as a two-out, three-run Hunter Fitz-Gerald (3-for-5) home run made it 10-5. In the eighth, Logan Duffy (1-for-5) doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error. Both Wheeler brothers earned bases on balls, and a Waters (3-for-6) hit back up the middle scored them both to make it a two-run deficit. Waters then made it 10-9 as he tagged up on a Fitz-Gerald sac fly to center field.
Down to its final out in the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Wheeler came through in the clutch as his line drive home run to left field knotted the game at 10-10. A Daylan Pena RBI single allowed TXST to retake the lead 11-10 in the 10th, and the Bobcats added an insurance run as Gonzalez scored on a fielder's choice. With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Fitz-Gerald homered for the second time with a solo shot to right center. Alex Bouche (1-for-5) drew a walk and was pinch run for by Kyle Edwards, who proceeded to steal second. However, Tarkenton popped out to third as the comeback bid fell just short.
Jacob Gomez (1-2) was handed the loss after giving up two runs on as many hits with three walks. He recorded two strikeouts in three innings in relief.
"I was proud of how hard our guys fought today," said head coach Chris Finwood. "Fantastic pitching in Game One, Armstrong and Holobetz really picked us up. Then in Game Two, to get down 10-2 in the seventh and still come back to tie it up, the guys kept fighting. We just had too many walks in that game. Gave them too many free bases and we have to figure out how to pitch a little bit better in the games that Armstrong doesn't start. We'll get back to work this week after exams and get everybody ready to go."
Up next for the Monarchs is a road trip to Lynchburg, Virginia this Wednesday for the second game of a home-and-home series versus Liberty. First pitch from Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.