HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Blake Morgan shut out No. 22 Southern Miss for seven innings and Old Dominion Baseball captured its first Sun Belt victory of the season with a 4-1 win on Sunday at Pete Taylor Park.
Morgan frustrated the Golden Eagles (14-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) all afternoon, retiring the side in order in the first, second, fourth, and seventh innings. The senior lefthander from Marlton, New Jersey scattered six hits, didn’t issue a walk, and recorded six strikeouts in a seven-inning start.
The Monarchs (5-12, 1-2 Sun Belt) opened the scoring in the top of the third inning. Tahraun Hammond led off with a single to right field, took second on a wild pitch, and reached third on a Kyle Edwards foul out to right. TJ Aiken then skied a ball to left, and Hammond beat the throw to the plate for a sac fly and a 1-0 ODU lead.
With two outs in the top of the fourth, Efrain Morales singled to right center. Tyler Zedalis followed with a standup triple off the wall in center field to make it 2-0.
A couple of two-out singles and a wild pitch put a pair of runners in scoring position for USM in the bottom of the sixth, but Morgan got out of the inning with a line out to left. Zedalis then connected on a 1-2 offering for a leadoff home run to start the seventh, the first long ball of his career.
In the eighth, Luke Waters singled to the gap in right, Kainen Jorge walked, and Morales was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. The Golden Eagles kept it a 3-0 game though as they turned a 6-4-3 double play to escape the threat, and Drey Barrett broke up the shutout with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning. The hosts couldn’t do any further damage though as Bailey Matela came out of the bullpen and retired all three batters he faced.
ODU answered with another run in the top of the ninth. With two away, Edwards doubled down the left line before Aiken poked a ball back up the middle for a 4-1 advantage. The Monarchs brought in Kellen Davis to close the door in the bottom of the ninth, and he struck out a pair, but a single up the middle and a couple of walks loaded the bases for the Golden Eagles. They couldn’t convert though as Barrett hit a ground ball towards Edwards at short, who flipped the ball to Maverick Stallings for the force out at second to end the game.
Morgan improved to 2-1 with the win and set a new career high with 110 pitches thrown, while Davis collected his second save of the season.
Zedalis (3-for-4) was a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Edwards (3-for-5) doubled and scored a run, Morales (2-for-3) and Hammond (1-for-3) also scored, and Aiken (1-for-4) drove in two runs.
The Monarchs wrap up their 18-game road trek this Tuesday when ODU heads to Williamsburg for a 6 p.m. meeting with William & Mary.