VMI wins wild affair with ODU, 8-6

A two-run single by Collin Fleischer broke a 6-6, eighth-inning tie and sent the VMI Keydets past the Old Dominion Monarchs, 8-6, in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night in Lexington, Va.

ODU (24-13) had tied the game at 6 on Seth Woodard’s second home run of the game, a two-run shot, in the eighth, but Matt Dunlevy led off the VMI (18-23) half of the frame with an infield hit. Will Malbon bunted him to second and Nathan Eaton and David Geary drew walks to load the bases. Fleischer followed with a first-pitch single through the left side, scoring two and providing the winning margin.

On the mound, Taylor Edens picked up the victory as he pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to move to 2-4. Edens allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. Brett Smith (1-2) allowed the two eighth-inning runs and took the loss for the Monarchs.

ODU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and one in the second, but the Keydets answered with a single run in the bottom of the second on Peyton Maddox’s ninth home run of the year.

VMI took the lead in the fourth, thanks to a five-run uprising. A two-run double by Geary was the key blow, but infield hits by Eaton and Dunlevy also plated runs in the frame as the Keydets took a 6-3 lead.

Jason McMurray drove home a run with a RBI double in the sixth, and ODU threatened to retake the lead in the seventh. The Monarchs loaded the bases with one out, but Micah Gorman struck out cleanup hitter Connor Myers and then induced a ground ball up the middle from Will Morgan. Jacob Jaye made a diving stop behind second base and flipped with his glove hand to Eaton covering for the force to end the threat.

That play proved huge when ODU tied the game in the eighth on Woodard’s second long ball of the contest, setting up the Keydet rally in the bottom half.

Offensively, Eaton went 3 for 4 and reached base four times to lead VMI, while five other Keydets had two hits apiece. Woodard went 3 for 4 with three RBI for the visitors.

VMI baseball will return to action Friday, when the Keydets open a three-game series against Wofford at Gray-Minor Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.