NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion pushed across a run in the 12th inning on a wild pitch to take Friday night's series opener over ULM, 2-1, at Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium.
ULM (18-23 overall, 6-13 Sun Belt Conference) struck for a run in the top of the first inning, as Colby Lunsford reached on an infield single. He moved to third base on a wild pitch and throwing error before scoring on Shawn Dalton Weatherbee's sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.
Cam Barlow and Parker Seay tried to make it stand up for the win for ULM. Barlow threw a season-high 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Seay kept the shutout alive to the ninth inning, when Jake Ticer earned a one-out walk. Pinch runner Hunter Cole entered the game for Ticer and, with the hit and run on, scored on Alex Bouche's RBI double to tie the game at 1. Seay retired the next two batters to force extra innings.
ULM put the lead off man on base in each of the next three innings.
Jake Haggard singled to open the 10th inning, breaking a string of 15-straight outs recorded by ODU reliever John Holobetz. However, pinch runner Hasani Johnson was picked off of first base before Jayson Zmejkoski walked and Matt Abshire singled. However, reliever Kellen Davis struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
After Carson Orton struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th inning, Lunsford opened the 11th inning with his second hit of the night. However, he was caught stealing to empty the bases again.
Orton worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the 11th, which set up Bryce Blaser to begin the 12th inning with a single back to the mound, which was knocked down by pitcher Brandon Pond, who was injured on the play. However, Blaser was retired on Johnson's bunt back to the pitcher, and Vincent Bashara struck out two hitters to keep the game tied at 1.
In the bottom of the 12th, Orton recorded the first out before Kenny Levari hit a double to right field. Levari moved to third on Steven Meier's groundout to the pitcher, and then scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch for the 2-1 victory.
In addition to Barlow's 5 2/3 innings on the mound, Seay threw 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. Orton threw the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts.
For ODU, Jay Cassady threw four innings in the start, allowing an unearned run on one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. Holobetz threw 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing two hits with six strikeouts. Davis threw 2/3 of an inning, while Pond and Bashara each threw a scoreless inning.
After scoring in the first inning, ULM was held scoreless over the final 11 innings with just four hits allowed and one walk by ODU pitching.
Lunsford had two of ULM's five hits. Five different Monarchs accounted for ODU's five hits.
In four total meetings, two games have gone to extra innings between ULM and ODU, with the Monarchs taking a 5-3 win in 10 innings in last year's series opener in Monroe. ODU is now 4-0 all-time against ULM.
The series continues at 4 p.m. EDT/3 p.m. CDT Saturday.
