NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion utilized a three-run second inning and held James Madison to just five total hits to open the Sun Belt Conference weekend baseball series with a 7-1 win against the Dukes Friday night at Bud Metheny Stadium.
The Monarchs improved to 17-16 on the year and 6-7 in Sun Belt play while the Dukes dropped to 20-13 and 6-7.
John Holobetz earned the for ODU, going five innings and conceding just one run and four hits with a trio of strikeouts. Jay Cassady pitched the final four frames, allowing just one hit while striking out six. Offensively, the Monarchs were led by Maverick Stallings, who was 2-of-4 with two RBI and a run, and Evan Holman, who was 2-of-3 with a pair of RBI, a run and walk.
Junior
Ryan Dooley recorded two hits and an RBI to pace the offense and junior
Coleman Calabrese and sophomores
Mike Mancini and
Wyatt Peifer each recorded a base hit.
On the hill, senior
Ryan Murphy tied his season-high of 5.0 innings pitched, allowing four runs and six hits with a walk. Redshirt sophomore
T.R. Williams also struck out a pair of batters in relief.
How It Happened
Second Inning
After one scoreless inning of action, a trio of singles brought home three Monarchs to give the hosts the early 3-0 lead.
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Fifth Inning
ODU attempted a double steal and while one runner was caught on the basepaths, Kyle Edwards crossed home plate to put ODU up 4-0.
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Sixth Inning
Stallings registered his second RBI of the night on a single through the left side, Kenny Levari to make it 5-0.
Seventh Inning
A sacrifice fly to center scored Holman from third, extending the lead to 6-0 for ODU.
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Eighth Inning
Holman continued his strong day, recording a RBI single with two outs in the inning, scoring Alex Bouche for the host's final run of the night.
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Ninth Inning
JMU got on the board in the final inning, as
Jack Guerrero drew a walk, setting up a two-out RBI double from Dooley. ODU finished things off on the ensuing at-bat with a ground out to third.
Game Notes
- JMU trails ODU in the all-time series, 54-60-1.
- James Madison still leads ODU in the TowneBank Royal Rivalry, 10.5-4.5.
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Up Next
The Dukes continue their series with ODU, with the first pitch of game two set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. Action at Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium will stream on ESPN+.