LYNCHBURG, Va. – Old Dominion baseball had runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth inning, but could not convert as Liberty walked off the Monarchs for a 3-2 final on Wednesday night at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Kyle Edwards walked to start the ninth, then attempted to steal second. He was initially called out on the field, but the Monarchs (28-16) challenged the play and the call was overturned. After Luke Waters also walked, Kenny Levari went down swinging and Hunter Fitz-Gerald flew out to left field. A wild pitch moved both runners up, but the Liberty first baseman made a diving catch in foul territory for the third out.
In the bottom of the frame, Liberty's Kane Kepley walked and moved up to second on a Brayden Horton bunt single. Jacob Gomez struck out the next two batters, but a Gray Betts single to right field was enough for Kepley to score the winning run.
ODU opened the scoring in the top of the first as Levari scored from second on a Thomas Wheeler single back up the middle. The lead was short-lived though as the Flames (20-24) answered in the home half of the frame. Kepley drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved up to third on a ground out and came around on a Jaylen Guy single to second.
The Monarchs went up 2-1 in the third as Levari tagged up on a Wheeler sacrifice fly to shallow center field, but the Flames put together three straight hits to knot the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
"It was a good game," said head coach Chris Finwood. "We left 12 runners on base and that's way too many! Just need someone to step up at game time. Whether it's on the mound or at the plate, we aren't winning the deciding moments in games. That's what winning teams do! Any time you hold a team to three runs in a midweek game, you should win. It was a cold night and not a good night to hit and we just weren't competitive enough in the batter's box."
Gomez (1-3) received the loss after giving up the deciding run. He allowed two hits, issued one walk and struck out a pair in 1.1 innings pitched. Blake Morgan held the Flames to one run on four hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts in a three-inning start.
Wheeler went 2-for-3, drove in two runs and had one sac fly. Levari finished 2-for-5 with one double and two runs scored, Edwards hit 1-for-2 with one walk and a stolen base, and Duffy and O'Neal turned in a pair of 1-for-3 outings.
The Monarchs travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas for a three-game set at Arkansas State this weekend. The Sun Belt series begins with a 7 p.m. ET game on Friday. ODU and A-State will then play at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday and at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday.