NORFOLK, Va. – For the second time this week, Old Dominion baseball came away with a walk-off win in extra innings.
On Wednesday against Richmond, it was Jack Slater coming through with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Monarchs (19-19, 7-10 Sun Belt) a 10-9 victory over the Spiders.
This time around the hero was Nick Felton. With no outs and runners in scoring position, the freshman outfielder from Odenton, Maryland sent a 1-0 pitch to the gap in left. That was enough for Scotty Young to cross the plate as the Monarchs earned their third win in a row and captured the Sun Belt series win over the Eagles (12-26, 5-12).
Georgia Southern put pressure on ODU reliever Bailey Matela in the top of the 10th. Sean White led off with a single to left center but was erased when Bryson Trammell hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Brady Christman and Jack Myers both walked, but Matela got out of the inning as Nico Senese flew out to Felton in center field.
Young then got the home half of the 10th started with a leadoff single back up the middle. Slater then hit a ground ball towards short, but a throwing error allowed Young to move up to third. Slater then stole second before Felton brought the game to a close and was promptly mobbed by his teammates.
Tyler Zedalis had a big day at the plate. The junior out of Charlotte, North Carolina finished 4-for-5 with two solo home runs and three runs scored. It marked his first career multi-home run performance.
Efrain Morales went 3-for-5 with a run, Will Johnson had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with one base on balls, Felton contributed a 2-for-5 effort, and Young hit 1-for-2 with a couple of runs and one walk.
Matela (2-1) picked up the win after tossing 1.1 innings out of the pen. He allowed just one run with two walks and one strikeout. JJ Gatti had a strong outing as he blanked the Eagles for five complete innings of work. ODU’s starting pitcher scattered five hits, walked a pair, and struck out five.
Both teams turned double plays in the first inning, but Zedalis put the Monarchs on the board with a one-out solo home run to left in the bottom of the second. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out in the top half of the third, but White popped up to Maverick Stallings at second on an infield fly and Trammell flew out to Felton in left center field.
GS had another opportunity in the fifth inning, but again came up empty. Frank Wells drew a one-out walk and moved up to second base on a Bennett Edwards single to right field. Edwards was then erased as James McCoy reached on a fielder’s choice. He proceeded to steal second, but with two outs White grounded out to second.
The Monarchs added another run in the home half of the fifth to go up 2-0. After Morales singled to right field with one away and TJ Aiken flew out to center field, Will Johnson singled to left field. Morales then scored from second as Zach Leite singled through the right side of the GS defense. Zedalis made it 3-0 as he led off the bottom of the sixth with his second long ball of the afternoon.
Georgia Southern finally broke through in the top of the seventh. Following back-to-back one-out singles by Wells and Edwards, McCoy tied the game with a three-run homer into the stands in left center field. The Eagles loaded the bases with two outs as Trammell doubled down the left-field line, Christman walked, and Myers singled to short. Kellen Davis entered the inning in relief and fielded a Senese ground ball back at him, but his throw to first wasn’t in time. Trammell scored on the play as the visitors pulled ahead, 4-3.
The Eagles got some insurance in the eighth inning. With one out and runners on first and second, White made it a 5-3 Georgia Southern lead with an RBI single to the gap in left. McCoy went from first to third on the play and then tagged up on a Trammell sacrifice fly to right field.
ODU answered right back though with a three-spot in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back singles by Stallings and Zedalis and a walk by Young loaded the bases with no outs. Stallings came home on a wild pitch, and Zedalis tagged up on a Slater sac fly to left as the Monarchs were back within a run, 6-5. Felton then hit a ground ball towards GS second baseman Myers, but his throw was muffed by first baseman McCoy. The misplay allowed Young to score from second and even the game at 6-6.
Up Next
Sunday’s series finale has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start.