NORFOLK, Va. – A six-run bottom of the seventh inning allowed Old Dominion Baseball to seize a 7-6 lead, but No. 8 Southern Miss scored two runs late to take the Sun Belt series rubber match, 8-7 on Saturday at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex.
“It was a good game and I thought our guys fought hard. We played well the last two days,” said ODU head coach Chris Finwood.
Down 6-1 through six complete, the Monarchs (14-17, 4-8 Sun Belt) put together six runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh inning. ODU quickly loaded the bases as Macaddin Dye singled, Maverick Stallings walked, and Scotty Young took a pitch to the side of his batting helmet. Will Johnson smacked the first pitch he saw to center field, plating Stallings from third to narrow the gap, 6-2. Grayson Sparr then pinch hit for Nick Felton, but Southern Miss fielded his ground ball for a force out at home.
TJ Aiken kept the rally going though with a 2-RBI single through the right side of the USM defense. After Efrain Morales walked and Zach Leite went down looking, Tyler Zedalis put the Monarchs in front, 7-6 with a three-RBI double to the gap in right.
The Golden Eagles (23-9, 7-5) answered right back with a run in the top of the eighth. Drey Barrett started off the inning with a base hit to left, then advanced to second as Ben Higdon laid down a sacrifice bunt. Barrett would later knot the game at 7-7 as he scored from second on a Seth Smith singled through the right side of the ODU infield.
In the ninth, USM’s Kyle Morrison hit a leadoff single before the next two batters both flew out. ODU reliever Kellen Davis walked Barrett before Higdon doubled to right field and the visitors retook the lead, 8-7.
Morales reached with a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but Leite hit into a 4-6-3 double play as the Golden Eagles held on for the victory.
Johnson (2-for-3) scored a run, drove in another, and was also hit by a pitch. Morales also finished 2-for-3 on the day with a run and a pair of walks. Young (1-for-2) doubled, scored two runs, and was plunked the one time. Aiken (1-for-4) drove in two runs, scored once, walked and swiped one bag. Zedalis (1-for-4) drove in three runs with the one double, and Dye (1-for-4) came around once.
Davis (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs on four hits and two walks. The Media, Pennsylvania native had two strikeouts in two innings of work. Starter Nick Sulpizio allowed one run on two hits, didn’t issue a walk, and struck out one in 2.1 innings pitched. Cole Lanford, Jayce Park, and Jackson Okonkwo also made appearances.
Southern Miss opened the scoring with four runs in the top of the third inning. Tucker Stockman hit a leadoff home run to left center, and a coupled of RBI singles and a sac fly extended the visitor lead to 4-0.
ODU got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Young doubled down the right field line, took third on a Felton ground out to second, and then scored on a wild pitch. The Golden Eagles then tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Matthew Russo singled in the first run, and Davis Gillespie crossed the plate as Barrett hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
Up Next
Old Dominion and William & Mary will resume their home-and-home series next Tuesday, April 7 when the Monarchs travel to Williamsburg for a 6 p.m. game at Plumeri Park.