HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A three-run top of the fifth and strong pitching by Blake Morgan, Ben Moore and Jacob Gomez allowed Old Dominion Baseball to even its Sun Belt series at Marshall with a 3-1 victory over the Thundering Herd on Saturday night.
"The guys fought their tails off for this win tonight," said ODU Head Coach Chris Finwood. "Blake, Ben and Jacob were outstanding on the mound and Jake Ticer hit a big home run. At this point in the season, it's more about toughness than anything else and we showed some grit tonight to get the win and even up the series. Big game tomorrow!"
Marshall jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Cam Harthan led off with a double to right field, moved up to third on an Owen Ayers fly out to right, and scored on an AJ Havrilla sacrifice fly to center field.
Morgan settled down from there, retiring the side in order in the second and third innings. The Monarchs (20-18, 8-9 Sun Belt) finally broke through in the fifth as Ticer tied the game with a leadoff home run to right, his fourth long ball of the season. ODU wasn't done though. Kenny Levari reaching on a fielding error, Evan Holman singled through the left side, and Rowan Masse executed a sac bunt to move the pair up. Levari put Old Dominion in front, 2-1 as he scored on a passed ball, and Holman made it 3-1 after a throwing error by the Marshall catcher on the play.
The Herd (13-25, 6-11) had an opportunity to answer in the bottom of the sixth. Ayers doubled with one out to the gap in right and advanced to third on a Havrilla fly out center, but the hosts couldn't bring him in as Caden Kaiser grounded out to first. Moore then retired the side in order in the seventh before giving way to Gomez, who retired six straight Herd batters to end the game.
Ben Moore (1-0) got the win after holding the Herd to just one hit and recording two strikeouts in three innings out of the pen. Gomez earned his seventh save of the season, which ties him for the national lead in multi-inning saves alongside Louisiana Tech's Ethan Bates. Morgan was tagged for one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four in a four-inning start.
Ticer finished the game 1-for-3 with the home run and a hit by pitch. Levari hit 1-for-2, scored a run, walked and was also hit by a pitch. Holman went 1-for-4 with a run, Maverick Stallings also went 1-for-4, and TJ Aiken and turned in 1-for-5 effort.
Sunday's rubber match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Jack Cook Field.
ODU Baseball Evens Series With 3-1 Win Over Marshall
