A seven-run sixth inning broke open a tight game and pushed the Old Dominion Monarchs past the VMI Keydets, 11-3, in non-conference baseball action Wednesday afternoon in Lexington, Va.
ODU (13-8) had led since a Derek Francis sacrifice fly in the third inning made it 3-2, but the Keydets (5-12) had pulled back within a run on a RBI single by Brandon Angus in the fifth. A sixth inning that included four walks and two errors did VMI in, however, as the frame also included a grand slam by shortstop Jason McMurray. The seven-run outburst capped the scoring at 11-3.
The two starters got the decisions on what was a staff day for both programs, with ODU’s Nate Matheson (1-0) picking up the win by allowing two runs on five hits over four innings of work. Jonathan Kelley (0-1) gave up three runs on three hits and three walks in a trio of innings and took the loss.
ODU jumped ahead in the second inning with a two-out rally against Kelley. McMurray drew a four-pitch walk and Nick Walker drove a 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence for a home run, making it 2-0, Monarchs.
The Keydets tied it in the bottom half, when Will Connerley led off with his third home run of the year. Jordan Tarsovich had a sacrifice fly later in the inning to knot the score, 2-2.
ODU retook the lead in the third on Francis’ sacrifice fly and went up 4-2 in the fifth, when P.J. Higgins scored on a wild pitch. Angus, making his first start since Feb. 15, singled home Tarsovich in the bottom of the inning to make it a 4-3 game, but ODU’s offense plated seven runs in the sixth to account for the final margin.
Offensively, the Keydets saw five players post two hits apiece, whul ODU was paced by Higgins’ 4 for 5 day at the plate.
VMI baseball will return to action Friday, when the Keydets play host to Samford in the opener of a three-game SoCon series. The first Southern Conference game ever played at Gray-Minor Stadium is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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Chris Graham
