The Old Dominion Monarchs men’s baseball team split a Friday doubleheader against Arkansas State, according to a May 1 announcement. The games were rescheduled due to expected inclement weather on Saturday.
In the first game, Old Dominion built an early lead by scoring in each of the first three innings and eventually defeated Arkansas State with a score of 8-0. Efrain Morales opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning, followed by runs from Macaddin Dye, Nick Felton, TJ Aiken, and Will Johnson in subsequent innings. The Monarchs recorded a total of 13 hits compared to just three for Arkansas State.
Pitcher Darin Kuskie earned the win for Old Dominion after pitching six shutout innings, allowing only three hits and one walk while striking out eleven batters—a new career high for him. Ben Tanton secured his first career save with three scoreless innings in relief. The combined fifteen strikeouts marked a season high for the team.
In the second game of the doubleheader, both teams saw strong performances from their starting pitchers until Arkansas State broke through with two runs in the fifth inning and added more late in the game to secure a 6-0 victory over Old Dominion. JJ Gatti started for Old Dominion and struck out six batters over four and two-thirds innings but took the loss after giving up two runs.
Efrain Morales led Old Dominion at the plate during both games with multiple hits including a double in game two. Despite several opportunities, Old Dominion was unable to mount a comeback against strong pitching from Arkansas State’s Tyler Weimer.
The series will conclude Sunday afternoon when both teams return for another matchup.
