MONTGOMERY, Ala. – With its pitching staff worn down after playing three games in three days, the Old Dominion baseball team fell to James Madison, 15-5, in an elimination game in the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Championship.
ODU began the tournament with a 3-2 victory Tuesday in the play-in game against No. 9 South Alabama, to advance to the double-elimination round and then upset top-seeded Louisiana, 7-3, on Wednesday.
No. 5 Georgia Southern rallied to defeat ODU, 8-6, on Thursday. There was simply not enough gas in ODU’s pitching tank to beat JMU in the final game this season of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry.
ODU and JMU split four games this season, with the Monarchs taking two of three during the regular season.
The victory buoyed JMU’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament at-large. JMU’s pitching staff was more well-rested because the Dukes (34-22) had a bye through the play-in round by
ODU (31-26) finished the season strong, winning 12 of its last 18 games. Maverick Stallings had a good tournament, with six hits and four RBIs in 12 at bats.
The Monarchs used nine pitchers Friday night and committed four errors, had five wild pitches. JMU challenged ODU on the bases and had nine stolen bases and belted out 19 hits.
Trailing 13-3 in the bottom of the seventh, ODU avoided the game being shortened by the 10-run rule when Alex Bouche drove a double off the wall, driving in Steven Meier and Stallings, who both singled.
However, Mike Mancini drove in Kyle Langley with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth to make it 14-5. Zack Cannizzaro then singled up the middle to score Fenwick Trimble and make it 15-5.
The Monarchs did not score in the bottom of the eighth, which ended the game an inning early.
“JMU played a really good ball game and we were running off fumes on the mound,” head coach Chris Finwood said.
“We had to throw a number of guys who haven’t pitched a lot this season and that’s a tough offense to have to face.”
The Monarchs threw their best arms against Georgia Southern, including Jacob Gomez and Vincent Bashara, who pitched on just one day rest. “We were really trying to win that game because it would have given us a day off today,” Finwood said. “When we lost, we knew it was going to be an uphill battle today.
“Offensively, we were a little challenged most of the year. But we pitched at a high level. We’ll finish in the top 10 in the country in pitching and that’s without a real starter.
“Mike Marron our pitching coach did a fantastic job. What he did with those guys this season was phenomenal.”
Finwood said his team played with a lot of heart and about as hard and well as it could have.
“We had to win our last game of the season to make the tournament and we won 20-6,” he said. “And then we knock off the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
“I’m proud of our guys. They played hard and this was a good group. I mean, 17-17 in the league is average for us, but with the core we have coming back, we’ve got something to build on.”
The Monarchs will become road warriors next season as Bud Metheny Ballpark, their 41-year-old home field, undergoes a $20 million renovation. The Monarchs will play 15 Sun Belt games at Norfolk’s Harbor Park or Hampton’s War Memorial Stadium and all other games will be played on the road.
The Monarchs will open the Bud Metheny Ballpark at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex in the late winter or early spring of 2026.
“The new facility is going to do so much for our program,” Finwood said.
JMU burst to a 5-1 lead in the first two innings. Ryan Dooley walked and stole second and then was singled home by catcher Jason Schiavone, who then stole second. Wyatt Peifer singled him home. Coleman Calabrese was hit by a pitch, sending Peifer to second. He was singled home by Brendan O’Donnell.
ODU got on the board in the bottom of the first when Maverick Stallings singled, scoring Kenny Levari, who singled to get on base.
JMU made it 5-1 in the top of the second in part because of three wild pitches. Kellen Davis got the first two Dukes to ground out and fly out. But then Trimble singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild patch.
Second baseman Mike Mancini singled to left to score Trimble. He then stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. He then scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
ODU got a run back in the bottom of the second when, with two outs, Evan Holman and TJ Aiken both walked. Shortstop Kyle Edwards then singled to bring Holman home to trim the lead to 5-2.
Trimble singled in Dooley in the fourth to make it 6-2. JMU then broke the game open in the sixth and seven innings.
In the fifth, Kyle Langley singled through the right side and advanced to second on a throwing error and O’Donnell scored. Mason Dunaway also scored on the error to make it 10-2.
Stallings drove in Edwards with a single to the right side in the fifth to make it 10-3.
But Trimble singled to right field to score Langley and O’Donnell in the sixth to make it 12-3 in the sixth. O’Donnell tripled to right center in the seven, driving in Peifer to make it 13-3.
The victory was the 500th career win for JMU coach Marlin Ikenberry, who played for Finwood at VMI.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Chris Finwood,” Ikenberry said. “What he did for me as a player and a coach, that’s the reason I’m sitting here.”
