NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion baseball led 4-2 through eight innings, but Georgia State scored two runs in the ninth inning and another run in the 10th as the Monarchs fell 5-4 on Thursday night at Bud Metheny Ballpark.
"Good ballgame. Have to give them credit for coming back after being down to their last out. We have had a hard time doing the things we need to do to win those close games in league play. It comes down to making a pitch or play here and there to win a game and we didn't get it done tonight. We'll have to bounce back tomorrow. The guys played hard and it was a tough loss," said head coach Chris Finwood.
The Panthers (28-26, 15-13 Sun Belt) got off to a quick start as Cameron Jones led off the game with a double down the third base line. ODU starting pitcher Vincent Bashara struck out a pair of batters, but Will Mize singled and stole second base. With two outs and runners in scoring position, a Matt Ruiz base hit to left gave the visitors an early 2-0 lead.
ODU bounced back with a three-run bottom of the second. Alex Bouche singled to left and advanced to third on a Chris Dengler double down the right-field line. Kyle Edwards then brought everyone home with a three-run home run to left field. The Monarchs (31-21, 14-14) tacked on another run in the fourth for a 4-2 advantage. Singles from Luke Waters and Kenny Levari and a walk by Jay Tarkenton loaded the bases with no outs. Hunter Fitz-Gerald hit into a 4-6-3 double play, but Waters came home on the play.
From there, the game turned into a pitcher's duel. The Monarchs turned a 6-4-3 double play in the top of the fifth and Josh Trujillo made a diving catch in left center field in the seventh. In the bottom of the frame, Edwards singled through the right side and proceeded to steal second and third. However, the Monarch could not bring him in. ODU had another opportunity to add to its lead in the eighth with two outs and runners in scoring position, but Dengler went down swinging.
In the ninth, Luke Boynton and Ruiz both singled before JoJo Jackson executed a sacrifice bunt. Boynton then cut the ODU lead to 4-3 as he scored on a Dylan Strickland ground out, and Colin Hynek tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single to shallow right field. Edwards led off the bottom of the ninth with a single through the right side and then stole second. However, Robbie O'Neal struck out and Edwards was doubled off as Trujillo popped out to short.
Jones drew a leadoff walk in the 10th and moved up to second on a Max Ryerson single to right field. A failed pickoff attempt by Trent Buchanan then allowed both runners to move up, and Jones crossed the plate on a Mize hit to right. The Monarchs then went down in order to end the game.
Buchanan (0-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk. He added one strikeout and retired two of the six batters he faced. Bashara set a new career high with six strikeouts while allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in a three-inning start. Jacob Gomez was responsible for the other two runs on two hits and a walk. He finished with one strikeout in 5.1 innings of work.
At the plate, Edwards finished 3-for-4 with the long ball. He scored once, drove in the three runs and added three swiped bags to his totals. Waters went 2-for-5 with one run and Bouche hit 1-for-3 with one run, one walk and one stolen base. Tarkenton and Dengler both contributed 1-for-4 efforts.
The teams are back at The Bud tomorrow for Game Two in the series, which is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch. ODU will hold a graduation ceremony for its seniors beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Monarchs Falter Late in Extra-Inning Loss to Georgia State
