NORFOLK, Va. – A TJ Aiken grand slam highlighted a six-run fifth inning as Old Dominion baseball walked off James Madison, 10-0 in eight innings on Friday afternoon at the Ellmer Family Complex.
“It was a really good day,” said ODU head coach Chris Finwood. “Honored our seniors before the game and then the boys went out and played a solid ball game. JJ Gatti gave us a good start and TJ Aiken’s grand slam broke the game open for us. It was also a beautiful day for a baseball game!”
ODU wins the TowneBank Royal rivalry series and improves to 29-24 overall and 15-14 in Sun Belt play. The Silver and Blue have now won six of their last seven games.
“We are really, really hot,” Aiken said of team’s recent success. “We’re a tight group. We’ve always been a tight group. But once we saw that we can win some big games, we just took off from there and we’re running with it right now.”
On what’s changed as the season’s gone on, he added, “Just winning the big games and getting better at winning the moments that matter. There’s just so many moments this year where we didn’t capitalize when we needed to, but in the back half of the season we’ve started to do that and that’s why we’re winning more games.”
Gatti was asked what his key to success on the mound was today.
“Lately, the biggest thing for me is going into the game trying to stay as composed as I can, and just making the pitch that’s in front of me. So that helps me to stay even through whatever situations go on in the game, like that sun ball that went up and dropped in the second inning. I take pride in picking up our defense when stuff like that happens and I just want to put us in the best position to win.”
Before today’s first pitch, ODU held a ceremony to recognize its senior class. The group included Maverick Stallings, Jack Slater, Cash Jay, Zach Leite, Scotty Young, Evan Holman, Ethan Hubbell, Bailey Matela, Connor Schumann, Patrick Johnson, Tyler Stott, and Kellen Davis.
The Monarchs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Macaddin Dye singled to third base, Aiken walked, and Nick Felton was hit by a pitch to load the bases. JMU starting pitcher Luke Alexander also plunked Will Johnson for the game’s first run, leading to the visitors making an early call to their bullpen for reliever Jaden Kinsler. Young reached on a fielder’s choice, and that allowed Aiken to come home.
The Dukes (20-32, 10-9) had an opportunity to respond in the top half of the third inning, but came up empty. After leadoff batter Wyatt Campbell struck out swinging, Keegan Haesler skied a ball towards right field. Young lost track of the ball, and it dropped near the warning track as Haesler had a standup double. He advanced to third base as Ryan Gocio grounded out to first base, but was left stranded as Kyle Langley struck out swinging.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Dukes had runners on first and second after Jack Guerrero and Haesler both singled. Gatti thought he picked off the Guerrero at second base, but JMU challenged the play and the call was overturned upon review. It didn’t matter though as Gocio lined out to Young in right field for the third out.
ODU broke the game open with another six runs in the home half of the fifth inning. Young drew a one-out walk and then scored from first as Efrain Morales doubled to right center field. He was then waved home when Leite singled up the middle. After Stallings went down swinging, Tyler Zedalis doubled to left field and Dye won an 11-pitch battle with a walk to load the bases. Aiken brought everyone home with a grand slam towards the visiting team bleachers in right center. It marked his third home run of the season and the 10th of his career as the Monarchs went up, 8-0.
JMU’s Clay Thompson led off the seventh inning with a single to the gap in right. He stole second base before Guerrero lined out to third. Former Monarch Jackson Tone then pinch hit for Campbell and hit a fly ball to right field. Young made the catch as Thompson tagged up and took off for third, but upon an ODU appeal he was deemed to have left the bag early and was called out.
Felton was hit by a pitch to start off the bottom of the eighth inning. Johnson flew out to right field before Young walked to put two runners on for ODU. JMU reliever Trey Campos tried to pick off Felton at second, but his throw sailed into the outfield and the error allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Morales wore a pitch to load the bases, which prompted JMU to make a call to the pen for Tyler Muscar. Leite then brought the game to a close with a 2-RBI double down the right-field line.
Aiken finished the day 1-for-3 with four RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Leite had a 2-for-4 outing as he doubled, drove in three runs, scored once, and walked once. Morales (1-for-3) also doubled, scored a run, drove in another, had a base on balls, and was also plunked.
Gatti (1-5) earned his first win as a Monarch after throwing five shutout innings. The junior from Rockville Centre, New York scattered three hits, issued one free pass, and tied his season high with six strikeouts. He also retired the Dukes in order in the second and fourth innings. Davis took over for the next two innings, allowing two hits with two strikeouts, and Ben Tanton struck out a pair in one inning of work.
“I think I’ve thrown the ball pretty well,” continued Gatti. “I would have loved for some of my outings to have ended differently than they did. I would have loved to have taken us deeper into some games, but towards the back half here, I’ve just been trying to do what I can until they take the ball from me.”
The Monarchs outhit the Dukes, 7-5. ODU also hit .385 (5-for-13) with runners on and .429 (3-for-7) with runners in scoring position.
Up Next
Saturday’s series finale is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. Prior to the game, the Monarchs will hold a graduation ceremony for Kellen Davis, Evan Holman, Ethan Hubbell, Cash Jay, Zach Leite, Bailey Matela, and Tyler Stott.