ODU Baseball Blows Out Georgia State, 12-4, in First Game at War Memorial Stadium

By Harry Minium

HAMPTON, Va. – There’s no place like home for the Old Dominion baseball team, even if the Monarchs are playing 20 miles away from their campus.

The Monarchs hammered out 16 hits, including three home runs, got an excellent performance from starting pitcher Ben Moore and rolled past Georgia State, 12-4, Friday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium.

It was the first “home” game for ODU (6-13 overall, 2-2 Sun Belt), which opened the season with 18 games on the road and came into Friday's game having lost five of their last six games.

The Monarchs are unable to play on campus as ODU’s Bud Metheny Ballpark is undergoing a $24 million renovation.

The Monarchs are splitting home games between Harbor Park, home of the Norfolk Tides, and War Memorial Stadium, the 77-year-old home of the Peninsula Pilots.

Moving required some logistical challenges, including setting up cameras and equipment for the ESPN+ broadcast and the ODU scoring crew working in an unfamiliar setting.

But the game drew a crowd of 453, including Beau Cowan, the wheelchair-bound ODU fan who had not seen ODU play a live game this season.

"It's great to finally see them play in person," Cowan said.

It wasn’t a true home game, said shortstop Kyle Edwards, who went 4-for-4.

“But whenever you’re playing in the 757, it feels like home,” said Edwards, a Virginia Beach native. “It was awesome seeing people we know, having our parents and friends out here supporting us.”

It was a homecoming of sorts for ODU Head Coach Chris Finwood, who starred at Hampton High School.

“I used to sit in those bleachers right there every Sunday in the summer with my dad and watch the Phillies’ Carolina League team play,” he said. “So, you know, coming back here was pretty cool.”

And while he was happy that the Monarchs won, he’s still not happy with how they’ve been playing.

“I’ve been telling these guys they’ve got to be tough, willing to do the hard things,” he said. “You’ve got to be willing to take your knocks and keep moving forward.

“Today, we did. We played better. But we need to be consistent and keep playing well.”

Moore pitched five innings, giving up one run, to claim his first victory of the season.

Designated hitter Efrain Morales had three hits and two RBIs while second baseman Tahraun Hammond, who bats ninth for ODU, had two hits, including a home run, scored two runs and had an RBI.

TJ Aiken had two hits and two runs scored while third baseman Tyler Zedalis drove in two runs with a home run and scored two more.

ODU sprinted to a 5-0 lead in the first three innings and never really looked back.

Luke Waters, who had two hits, singled in the first inning to score Aiken and then Ewards singled in the second to drive in Zedalis.

Evan Holman then singled to left in the third, scoring Morales. Zedalis then homered to drive in Holman and make it 5-0.

Georgia State (15-8, 3-1) hit a pair of home runs, one each in the fifth and sixth to narrow the lead to 5-2. With a runner on third, Zedalis saved more damage by hauling in a line-drive with two outs to retire the side in the sixth.

Hammond made it 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth with a towering home run to left center that began a run in which the Monarchs blew the game open.

Aiken then singled up the middle and Edwards doubled to left center, putting runners on second and third.

Waters then drove them both home with a perfectly-placed single to right field that gave ODU an 8-2 lead.

Pinch hitter Tanner Schaedel then homered to right field, scoring Walters and giving ODU a 10-2 lead.

Georgia State’s Cole Griffith homered in the seventh to make it 10-4 but then the Monarchs got both runs back in the bottom of the seventh when Morales singled up the middle, scoring Edwards and Hammond.

Relief pitchers Bailey Matela and Frankie Wright each retired three batters in the final two innings for ODU.

The Monarchs and Panthers play again Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.

“I’m happy we got the win,” Finwood told his team at game’s end. “You guys played pretty good baseball today.

“But we’ve got to come out and play better tomorrow. I know we can play better.”