Mistakes are Costly for ODU Baseball as Coastal Carolina Rolls Past Monarchs, 16-7

By Harry Minium

HAMPTON, Va. –- Mistakes cost the Old Dominion baseball team dearly Friday as Coastal Carolina scored seven runs in an error-plagued sixth inning and coasted to a 16-7 victory over the Monarchs at Peninsula War Memorial Stadium.

Senior Blake Morgan pitched brilliantly for ODU, throwing five shutout innings while striking out five and allowing just four hits.

But ODU went to its bullpen in the sixth and the wheels came off. Coastal scored seven runs on just three hits in the sixth as ODU pitchers threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, and there were two catcher’s interference calls.

In all, ODU pitchers plunked six Coastal players.

"You can't pitch like that against a good team," said Chris Finwood, ODU's head coach. "You give them free bases and it blows up."

ODU (21-28 overall, 15-14 Sun Belt) hosts Coastal Carolina (43-11, 25-4), Saturday at War Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m. in the final regular-season game for both teams. Coastal enters with a 13-game winning streak and has won 17 Sun Belt games in a row.

The victory allowed the Chanticleers to clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. 

The Monarchs have clinched a tournament bid but may need to defeat Coastal, depending on the outcome of other games, to avoid a first-round play-in game.

Heading into games on Saturday night, Coastal, Southern Miss and Troy have clinched places in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Six other teams remain in contention for the other three quarterfinal spots.

The two play-in games, featuring seeds No. 7 through No. 10, will be held on Tuesday. The two winners join the top six teams in Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the double-elimination tournament.

"Hopefully, we're already in the top six," Finwood said. "But if not, then you get what you earn."

Coastal starter Jacob Morrison, considered the Sun Belt’s top pitcher, ran his record to 10-0 in spite of getting off to a rocky start. ODU scored two runs in the bottom of the first with just one out.

Kainen Jorge walked and was driven to second by a Scotty Young single. Luke Waters then grounded out, advancing the runners to second and third.

First baseman Zach Leite then drove them both in with a double to right field.

However, Morrison then settled down.

Of the next 11 hitters, only one reached base, when TJ Aiken drew a fourth-inning walk.

Then, in the fifth, ODU second baseman Tahraun Hammond singled and was sacrificed to second by catcher Jack Slater. But Morrison struck out two Monarchs to end the threat.

Coastal also threatened in the fifth when, with two runners on base, Caden Bodine drilled a line drive to left that had it fallen, likely would have scored a run. But Young got a great jump on the ball and made a diving catch to end the inning.

But then came the ill-fated sixth inning.

ODU trailed, 14-2, when the Monarchs staged a mini-rally in the eighth. Jorge led off with a home run and then Maverick Stallings hit a three-run homer, driving in Waters and Young.

The Monarchs also scored in the bottom of the ninth when Young drove in Hammond with a sacrifice fly. 

"We kept fighting and got some runs in there at the end so maybe that gives us a little bit of momentum," Finwood said. 

It was an emotional pre-game for 11 ODU seniors who, dressed in caps and gowns, received their diplomas. ODU played at JMU last weekend and the players missed the University’s graduation ceremonies.

Morgan, Waters, Hammond, Stallings, Young, Kyle Finn, Kyle Edwards, Connor Schumann, Jack Slater, Bryce Jones and Frankie Wright all collected sheepskins.

ODU isn't playing true home games this season as Bud Metheny Ballpark is undergoing a $24 million renovation.

"It's always awesome when we do this," Finwood said. "It's not as cool having it over here as it is on campus. But it was nice to see the families be able to get pictures and see their sons in their caps and gowns."

ODU put together a video of the parents commenting on their sons.

"What the marketing people did with that video was awesome," Finwood said.

Saturday’s game is Senior Day as the Monarchs will bade 12 players farewell in pregame ceremonies.

 Minium is ODU’s senior executive writer. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram