NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball used a seven-run top of the fourth inning to pull away from Norfolk State and the Monarchs cruised to a 15-0 midweek win over the Spartans on Wednesday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.
The game marked the first of two meetings with the Spartans (2-5) this season. The home-and-home series will see NSU visiting Old Dominion on Wednesday, March 18.
“I thought our guys did a good job, especially on the mound, and play well. We took advantage of some walks and had the one big inning. I was really happy with our young pitchers filling up the strike zone today,” said ODU head coach Chris Finwood.
With two outs in the top of the first inning, Zach Leite was hit by a pitch and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. The senior from Dana Point, California then put the Monarchs (6-2) on the scoreboard when he raced home on a Maverick Stallings single to center field.
ODU added another run in the second inning when Macaddin Dye scored from third on a Cash Jay sacrifice fly to right field.
The Monarchs then broke open the game with another seven runs on five hits in the top of the fourth. After Dye was plunked and Tyler Zedalis singled to the gap in right, Grayson Sparr brought them both home with a double down the left-field line. Zedalis would get thrown out at the plate, but Sparr came around on a double by Jay to left field. Three straight walks by Cole McKenna, TJ Aiken, and Leite made it a 5-0 lead. Stallings then singled in another run, Efrain Morales drew a bases-loaded walk, and Dye hit a hard liner that ate up the NSU second baseman, allowing Leite and Stallings to cross the plate for a 9-0 advantage.
With one out and Jay and Aiken in scoring position in the top of the fifth, Leite singled up the middle to push the lead to 11-0. The Monarchs then drew four consecutive one-out walks in the top of the seventh to make it 12-0. Nick Felton then plated Aiken with an RBI ground out to first, Evan Holman walked to reload the bases, and Bennett Siegel and Jack Slater also walked for the final 15-0 tally. ODU then brough in Chris Cavalcante to shut the door and the freshman right-hander answered the call by striking out the side.
Eight different Monarchs combined for 12 hits in the game. Stallings went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Leite also drove in three runs in a 1-for-2 day at the plate, scoring three runs with two bases on balls. Dye turned in a 2-for-2 effort with two runs and two RBIs, Jay hit 1-for-3 with the double, two runs, and two RBIs, and Zedalis finished 2-for-4.
On the mound, Ryan Sheehy picked up his first win as a Monarch after tossing two shutout innings. The transfer from Hartford gave up just two hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Ethan Hubbell also threw two frames of one-hit ball, and Nick Sulpizio, Maddox Jack, and Cavalcante pitched one inning each, combining for another six strikeouts.
It wasn’t just the offensive effort, though. ODU held NSU to just three hits, all singles. Dye also threw out two runners attempting to steal, both in the bottom of the first, and Sheehy picked off a runner at first in the bottom of the second.
ODU improves to 44-9 in the all-time series and has now won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Spartans.
Up Next
ODU will be back at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex this weekend when the Monarchs host Charlotte for three games. Friday and Saturday will both be 2 p.m. starts, and Sunday’s series finale will begin at 1 p.m.