ODU Splits Saturday Doubleheader at Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Old Dominion baseball split its doubleheader at Texas State on Saturday, falling 8-6 in the first game and edging the Bobcats 7-4 in the second game.

"Long day of baseball and we bounced back and played a good ball game in Game Three. That was a big win for us! John Holobetz pitched great and Alex Bouche had a big home run to expand the lead for us. I'm proud of the grit the guys showed today," said ODU Head Coach Chris Finwood.

Game One

The Monarchs (25-21, 12-12 Sun Belt) built a 2-0 lead as Luke Waters hit a solo home run in the top of the first and Kenny Levari added a solo blast in the fourth. The Bobcats (24-25, 10-14) then took over with four runs on as many hits in the bottom of the fourth. Chase Mora knotted the game at 2-2 with a two-run shot to left center. Ryne Farber then reached on a bunt single towards first base and put TXST in front 3-2 on an Aaron Lugo triple to the gap in right, and Lugo made it 4-2 as he tagged up on a Davis Powell sacrifice fly to right center.

ODU got a run back in the fifth as Maverick Stallings homered, but the hosts answered in their next turn at the plate with another two-run home run by Cora. The Bobcats went up 8-3 in the sixth as Lugo scored from third on a Powell base hit to the outfield. Daylan Pena went from first to third on the play and then ran home on a Cade Manning sac fly to left.

Kyle Edwards led off the eighth with a double to right center, advanced to third on a passed ball, and cross the plate on a Levari sac fly to center field. Later with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, TJ Aiken drove in a run with a base hit to left. Edwards then brought in Stallings with a sac fly to right center to cut the TXST lead to 8-6, but the hosts recorded the third out as the ODU rally came up short.

Ben Moore (1-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out a pair. At the plate, Aiken finished 3-for-5 with one RBI. Stallings hit 2-for-4 with the long ball and two runs, Waters turned in a 2-for-5 effort with his ninth home run of the season, and Levari batted 1-for-2 with his eighth homer, two RBIs and one walk.

Game Two

ODU opened the scoring in the top of the second as Jake Ticer was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on an Alex Bouche single to right field, and ran home on a Jackson Tone sac fly to right center. It didn’t take long for TXST to pull even though as Pena drew a one-out walk in the second, moved up to third on a Powell base hit to right, and scored as Manning reached on a fielder’s choice.

The Bobcats went up 2-1 in the third inning. Alec Patino started off the frame with a single to second base, then took second on a Kameron Weil sac bunt. After Mora walked and Farber singled to load the bases, Lugo popped up to second in shallow right center. It was deep enough for an aggressive Patino though as the senior raced home on the play.

The Monarchs tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth. With one away, Edwards and Waters strung together back-to-back singles before Edwards advanced to third on a wild pitch and tagged up on a Levari sac fly to right. ODU plated another three runs on two hits in the seventh for a 5-2 advantage. Bouche led off with a base on balls and advanced to third on a Jackson Tone double to right. After Bouche came around on a wild pitch, Stallings went down swinging. The ball got past the TXST catcher though, and the second wild pitch of the inning allowed Stallings to get to first and Tone to score. A third wild pitch moved Stallings to second, he took third on a Bryce Jones ground out to short, and ran home on an Aiken single to left.

ODU got some more insurance in the top of the eighth. With two outs and Ticer standing on first, Bouche connected on a 2-1 pitch for his fourth home run of the season and a 7-2 lead. The Bobcats applied some pressure with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, but Edwards fielded a ground ball up the middle and made the throw to first in time for the third out.

In the bottom of the ninth, a Patino single through the right side brought in Manning from third to cut the ODU lead to 7-3. The Bobcats went on to load the bases and ODU brought in Brandon Pond to get the final out. He struck out the first batter he faced, but a wild pitch allowed the batter to reach first and another run to come in. Pond then induced a fly out to left center to wrap up the game.

John Holobetz (4-4) earned the win after holding the Bobcats to two runs on four hits and four walks, adding one strikeout in 5.2 innings in relief. The junior from Pottsville, Pennsylvania retired 10 in a row between the fifth and eighth innings while Pond picked up his first save as a Monarch. Bouche went 2-for-2 with the two-run homer and Tone hit 1-for-2 with a double, one run, one RBI and a walk. Also collecting hits were Waters (1-for-3), Edwards (1-for-4), Stallings (1-for-4) and Aiken (1-for-5).

The Monarchs are back in action this Tuesday when they travel to Richmond for the second game in a home-and-home series versus VCU. First pitch at The Diamond is set for 6 p.m.