ATLANTA – Old Dominion baseball scored six runs in the first three innings as the Monarchs grabbed the Sun Belt series opener at Georgia State, 10-2 on Friday night.
In their first turn at the plate, the Monarchs (21-20, 9-10 Sun Belt) plated their first run as Efrain Morales hit a leadoff double to left center field and later scored on a Zach Leite single through the left side. ODU then loaded the bases as Leite was erased on a Tyler Zedalis fielder’s choice to third and Maverick Stallings and TJ Aiken both walked. Macaddin Dye picked up an RBI as he too walked and gave the Monarchs a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers (20-22, 8-11) got a run back in the home half of the first inning. GSU’s Wills Maginnis walked, stole second and third, and came home on a Cole Griffith double down the left-field line.
ODU loaded the bases again in the top of the second, and with one away Zedalis walked in a run to put the Monarch back up by two, 3-1. Georgia State threatened again in the bottom of the second with one out and runners on first and second. Darin Kuskie got out of the inning unharmed, inducing a ground out to short followed by a strikeout swinging.
Aiken led off the top of the third with his second home run of the season. Dye then earned a base on balls before Scotty Young and Nick Felton beat out back-to-back bunt singles. With the bases loaded, Morales drove in two more Monarchs as ODU pulled away, 6-1.
GSU’s Austin Killingsworth hit a one-out double in the bottom of the fourth inning. A pair of wild pitches allowed him to cross the plate as the Panthers trailed by four, 6-2. The Monarchs pushed across three more runs in the fifth. Felton singled and moved up to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. Following a Morales walk to put runners on the corners, Will Johnson and Leite added three more to the tally with back-to-back doubles.
Felton scored the game’s final run in the top half of the seventh inning. The freshman outfielder walked and took second on a wild pitch. A Morales fly out to right allowed Felton to reach third, and he then raced home on another wild pitch. The Panthers had two outs and runners on the corners in the bottom of the ninth, but Jayce Park brought the game to a close with a strikeout looking.
Morales finished the night 2-for-4 with a double, three runs, two RBIs, and a couple of walks. Felton went 2-for-3 with two runs and two walks, and Leite hit 2-for-6, doubled, and drove in three runs.
Ben Tanton pitched four scoreless innings in relief to secure the win, improving to 6-0 on the season. He held the Panthers to two hits and two walks while striking out six. Kuskie allowed two runs on three hits and as many walks in a four-inning start. He finished right behind Tanton with five strikeouts. Park pitched the ninth inning, walking two and recording one strikeout.
The Monarchs combined for 13 walks, a new season high. ODU’s previous was 11 in a 15-0 win at Norfolk State on Feb. 25.
Up Next
The series continues tomorrow with a 4 p.m. first pitch at the GSU Baseball Complex.
