MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but a fly ball to left field sealed a 5-3 victory for Old Dominion Baseball on Sunday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
The Blue Raiders (6-4) jumped out to a quick 2-0 start in the first. Brett Vondohlen homered to left field to open the scoring, and a Nathan Brewer single and an ODU fielding error allowed Tyler Minnick to score from first base.
ODU starting pitcher Blake Morgan settled down after that, shutting out the hosts for the next six innings. The lefthander from Marlton, New Jersey retired the side in order in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
“Blake gave us a really good start, I believe the longest of his career,” said ODU Head Coach Chris Finwood. “Zach Leite and Kyle Edwards provided most of the offense for us and Kellen Davis and Bailey Matela did the job out of the bullpen.”
The Monarchs (3-7) got a run back in the second as Kainen Jorge singled up the middle and was waved home on a Zach Leite double to left center. Later in the fourth, Jorge walked and moved up to second on a Leite hit back up the middle. ODU then executed a double steal, and the throw to second by the MTSU catcher went wide and into center field. The miscue allowed Jorge to come around and tie the game at 2-2.
Old Dominion then pulled ahead with another two runs on four hits in the fifth inning. Kyle Edwards led off with a single through the left side and reached second on a Ryan Thomas base hit to right field. Luke Waters then poked a ball through the left side of the defense, bringing in Edwards for the 3-2 lead. Another double steal by the Monarchs and a walk by Jorge loaded the bases, and Leite scored Thomas with a single through the right side to make it 4-2.
Some aggressive base running by Edwards helped ODU scratch across another run in the sixth. With one out, the senior shortstop doubled to right center and then stole third. The MTSU catcher again tried to make the throw, but it sailed past the third baseman and the error allowed Edwards to cross the plate.
“We have struggled with runners in scoring position this weekend, so it was nice to get some big hits to expand the lead,” added Finwood. “We have a long way to go offensively and are still striking out way too often. We have to improve on that as the season progresses.”
MTSU manufactured a run in the eighth as Eston Snider doubled to the gap in left and came around on a Vondohlen single down the left-field line. Vondohlen tried to stretch for two, but Waters’ throw to Tahraun Hammond was in time to get the out. Kellen Davis then relieved Morgan and ended the inning with a fly ball to center field.
Davis retired the leadoff batter in the ninth and handed the ball over to Matela. After Brewer reached with a single through the left side, the next batter popped up to Hammond for the second out. An ODU fielding error and a walked batter ran the bags full for the tournament hosts, but Cale Vinson flew out to left to bring the game to an end.
Morgan (1-0) earned his first win of the season after tallying seven strikeouts. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, on seven hits and one walk in a 7.2-inning start, a new career high. Matela picked up the save after holding the Blue Raiders to one hit with one walk in 0.2 innings of work.
Leite had the big day at the plate for ODU, batting 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. Edwards finished 2-for-4 as he doubled, scored twice and also swiped a bag. Jorge (1-for-3) also scored two runs, walked twice and added a steal to his totals. Thomas (1-for-4) walked once, stole a base and scored a run, and Waters (1-for-5) drove in a run with one steal.
Both teams tallied eight hits in the game. The Monarchs swiped six bags on seven attempts, hit 8-for-33 (.242) on the day, and were also 5-for-19 (.263) with runners on.
The Monarchs will be in Alabama next weekend for three games at Auburn. Starting times for next Friday and Saturday have yet to be announced, but the series finale on Sunday, March 9 will begin at 3 p.m. EST.