Old Dominion came away with a split in Friday’s doubleheader against Arkansas State, cruising to an 8–0 victory in the opener before dropping the second game 6–0.
The schedule was adjusted ahead of the series due to expected inclement weather, moving both contests to Friday.
Game One
The Monarchs (23–23, 10–13 Sun Belt) wasted no time taking control, scoring in each of the first three innings to build a 7–0 advantage.
Efrain Morales got things started in the first inning with an RBI single. In the second, Macaddin Dye and Nick Felton worked walks before TJ Aiken drove in a run with a single. Felton later scored on a base hit from Will Johnson to extend the lead to 3–0.
Old Dominion broke the game open in the third inning. After Scotty Young was hit by a pitch and Dye singled, Felton brought home a run. Aiken followed with a walk to load the bases, and Johnson delivered a two-run single. Zach Leite added another RBI single to cap the four-run inning and give ODU a 7–0 cushion.
The Monarchs added their final run in the seventh when Maverick Stallings doubled and came around to score on Young’s single.
Johnson led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Leite, Morales, and Stallings each had two hits as ODU collected 13 in total.
On the mound, Darin Kuskie (3–6) turned in a standout performance, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. He walked one and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Ben Tanton closed it out with three shutout innings, striking out four to secure his first save. The Monarchs combined for 15 strikeouts in the win.
Game Two
The second game was a much tighter contest early on, featuring strong pitching from both sides.
ODU starter JJ Gatti opened by retiring six straight batters and kept Arkansas State off the board through four innings. The Monarchs threatened in the fourth when Morales doubled with two outs, but they couldn’t convert.
Arkansas State broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a walk and hit batters before delivering a two-run single to go up 2–0.
The Red Wolves added to their lead in the seventh, capitalizing on an error to make it 3–0. They pulled away in the eighth inning with three more runs, stretching the margin to 6–0.
Old Dominion was unable to mount a comeback. Jack Slater singled in the eighth and Morales added another hit in the ninth, but neither rally materialized.
Morales led ODU at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with a double. Slater, Stallings, and Tyler Zedalis each contributed a hit.
Gatti (0–5) was charged with the loss after allowing two runs over 4.2 innings. He struck out six in the outing.
