CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Old Dominion baseball could not quiet No. 10 Virginia’s bats on Tuesday as the Monarchs dropped their midweek game to the Cavaliers, 16-2 in seven innings.
The Cavaliers (23-7) struck first with four runs in the bottom of the first. Eric Becker hit a leadoff single through the right side, stole second, and scored on a Sam Harris base hit to shallow right field. Harrison Didawick drew a two-out walk, and Kyle Johnson hit a three-run home run to deep left that pushed the hosts lead to 4-0.
The Monarchs (13-15) got two runs back in the top of the second. Tyler Zedalis led off the frame with his sixth long ball of the season. Efrain Morales then singled up the middle, reached third on a Maverick Stallings double to right field, and came around on a Scotty Young ground out to first.
Virginia responded with another run in the bottom of the second. Noah Murray walked and advanced to third base on a Becker double to center field, then trotted home on a Sam Harris infield hit. In the third, Virginia’s Joe Tiroly reached on an error and later scored on a Johnson sacrifice fly to right. After Antonio Perrotta walked, Didawick crossed the plate on a Jake Weatherspoon ground out to second to make it a 7-2 deficit.
ODU threatened with one out and runners on the corners in the top of the fourth. However, Will Johnson went down swinging and Morales was thrown out at the plate when the Monarchs attempted a delayed double steal. In the bottom of the inning, Harris hit a two-run homer to push UVA’s lead to 9-2. The Monarchs fell behind 10-2 in the fifth as Becker doubled and was waved home on a Harris single to right field.
In the sixth, Kyle Johnson singled and was pinch ran for by Zach Jackson, who then scored on a Weatherspoon double down the left-field line. An AJ Gracia grand slam pushed the UVA lead to 15-2, and Harris followed with a solo shot to left center to make it 16-2.
Nick Felton, in as a pinch hitter for Young, led off the seventh with a double to right. However, ODU’s next three batters all went down swinging to end the game.
Zedalis finished 1-for-3 with the long ball, Felton went 1-for-1 with the two-bagger, Stallings hit 1-for-3 with a double, and Morales turned in a 1-for-2 effort with a walk and a run scored.
Ethan Hubbell (0-1) was handed the loss after conceding five runs on three hits and two walks in a 1.1-inning start. ODU used a total of six pitchers as Cole Lanford, Patrick Johnson, Jayce Park, Connor Schumann, and Owen Yarussi all came out of the pen.
Up Next
Old Dominion will host No. 8 Southern Miss for a Sun Belt series later this week. Thursday’s series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex. The Monarchs and Golden Eagles will then play at 3 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday.