NORFOLK, Va. – The VMI Keydets put five runs on the board early, but the Old Dominion Monarchs scored the last nine runs of the contest and went on to a 15-5 win in non-conference baseball action Wednesday in Norfolk, Va. With the win, ODU (11-6) swept the midweek series from VMI (9-7).
Clinging to a 6-5 lead, ODU pushed that lead to two in the fourth, thanks to a Connor Myers sacrifice fly. The Monarchs then scored five times in the fifth, including a two-run double by Jordan Burney and a two-run home run by Jordan Negrini that broke the game open. The Monarchs then added a run in the seventh and two in the eighth to account for the final margin.
Offensively, the Keydets saw three players notch two hits apiece including a 2 for 5, two RBI day from Red Dowdell. Brandon Angus and Cameron Walter also added two hits each, while infielder P.J. Higgins went 4 for 5 for the home team.
On the mound, Ryan Bennett (0-1) took the loss in his first collegiate start. A second inning error behind Bennett cost the redshirt freshman dearly, as he surrendered six runs in his 1 2/3 innings, but only one was earned. Turner Bishop (1-0) got the win for the Monarchs on the strength of three one-hit innings.
The Keydets jumped ahead early on the cloudy day, an afternoon during which rain was expected, but never came. With two outs in the first, Angus walked and stole second. Dowdell singled him home for a 1-0 VMI lead, and the next two hitters walked to load the bases. Will Malbon popped out on a 2-0 pitch, however, and the Keydets had to settle for one run.
ODU tied the game in the bottom of the inning, but the Keydets took the lead back in the second. Walks to Tanner Dofflemyer and Jordan Tarsovich were followed by a David Geary single. Brandon Angus followed with a fielder's choice groundout, scoring Dofflemyer, and Dowdell had a RBI infield hit to tie the game, 3-3.
The Monarchs then notched five in the bottom of the frame. The first batter, Taylor Ostrich, hit a bouncing ball to first that Walter misplayed briefly then gathered in. As he stepped toward the bag, however, he bobbled the ball and it hit the ground for an error. Bennett nearly escaped the inning, but a potential double-play ground ball to third base was hit too slowly and went for a fielder's choice. Mike Perez fouled out for the second out, but Tyler Erps singled home a run to give ODU the lead for good, 4-3.
After a walk to Myers, Josh Eldridge followed with a two-run single and Higgins laced one of his own, giving ODU a five-spot in the frame and 6-3 lead.
VMI got two of those runs back in the third on Dofflemyer's two-run double, his first collegiate extra-base hit, but those would be the final Keydet runs of the game. Myers' sacrifice fly in the fourth inning followed and set up the five-run fifth that broke the score open.
Home runs by Jordan Burney in the seventh and Eldridge in the eighth accounted for the final margin, with Eldridge's being a two-run homer and the first hit given up by Berkley Hawkins in five innings pitched this season.
VMI baseball is back in action Friday, beginning its final season of Big South play by facing Radford at Gray-Minor Stadium. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
