ATLANTA – Old Dominion baseball took a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, but Georgia State rallied to force extras and Wills Maginnis hit a walk-off home run in the 10th as the Panthers took the Sun Belt series rubber match, 8-7.
GSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Maginnis singled up the middle, advanced to second on a John Beverley sacrifice bunt, and moved up to third on a Cole Griffith single to right field. A second sac bunt, this time by Sam Silas, brought in the first run of the game for the Panthers (22-22, 10-11 Sun Belt).
The Monarchs (21-22, 9-12) then scored six-straight runs over the next three innings, in large part off the bat of freshman outfielder Nick Felton. He gave ODU the lead with a two-out, three-run blast to center field, the first home run of his collegiate career.
Old Dominion got another run in the third inning as Will Johnson singled to left and stole second. An errant throw down to second by GSU catcher Griffith allowed Johnson to take third, and he then tagged up on a Tyler Zedalis sac fly for a 4-1 ODU advantage.
Felton pushed the Monarchs’ lead to 6-1 in the fourth inning with his second big fly in as many at bats, this one a two-run shot to right field. Later in the top of the sixth, Scotty Young led off with a double to the gap in right. An Evan Holman sac bunt put Young on third, and Efrain Morales poked a ball through the right side of the Panthers’ defense to make it 7-1.
GSU got a run back in the home half of the sixth as Adam Haber hit a two-out solo home run to right field.
ODU brought in Nick Sulpizio to face the Panthers in the ninth. He retired leadoff batter Cooper Milford on a fly out to center field, but quickly had to deal with a runner in scoring position as Lucas Grantham singled to third and reached second on a throwing error. Following a walk to Hunter Carlson, Sulpizio gave up an RBI single to Maginnis. Sulpizio also walked Beverley before the Monarchs brought in Tyler Stott to pitch, but Griffith connected on the first pitch he saw for a game-tying grand slam to right center. The hosts had an opportunity to walk off the game with two outs and runners in scoring position, but Stott struck out Milford to send the game to extras.
Zedalis led off the 10th inning with a double to left center. He was looked back to second on a Maverick Stallings ground out back to the pitcher, but reached third base when TJ Aiken grounded out to second. The Monarchs came up empty though as Young grounded out to GSU first baseman Carlson.
In the bottom of the 10th, Stott retired the first two batters he faced, but Maginnis drilled the first pitch he saw to walk off the Monarchs.
Felton finished 2-for-3 with the two homers, five RBIs, and one hit by pitch. Morales went 2-for-4 with one RBI and a walk, and Stallings turned in a 2-for-5 effort with a double. Zedalis hit 1-for-4 with a double and a run driven in, while Young also batted 1-for-4 with a double, two runs, and a walk.
Stott (2-1) took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in 1.1 innings in relief. Starter Jackson Okonkwo went three full innings, holding the hosts to one run on four hits and a walk while striking out one.
Up Next
The Monarchs will be back at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex this Tuesday when they host VCU at 6 p.m.