NORFOLK, Va. – Spurred on by a tying home run in the seventh inning by fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz, Rutgers baseball scored four times in the final three innings to move past Old Dominion, 7-6, on a windy Friday at the Bud Metheny Complex. It was the opener of a three-game set, as the Scarlet Knights and Monarchs have met on the diamond each season since 1997.
 
RU (4-4) won for the third time in four games to even its record, marking the best start through eight outings since 2011. In addition, the team overcame a deficit of four or more to triumph for the second time already this season.
 
Folinusz finished the day 2-for-4 with his fourth career long ball, two RBIs and a walk to lead the offensive attack, while freshman Mike Nyisztor picked up two more doubles and junior Luke Bowerbank had two RBIs. Junior Jawuan Harris, senior Kyle Walker and sophomore Kevin Welsh also reached base multiple times, with Welsh extending his hitting streak to eight games. For Harris, he stole a base in the first inning to tie Mike Helman (1974-78) for third in program history with 67 career steals.
 
On the mound, senior John O'Reilly battled past the first inning to post five consecutive scoreless frames to end his start. The right-hander scattered five hits over six frames and retired five of the last six batters faced to keep Rutgers within striking distance. Redshirt junior Ryan Wares (1-0) came in next and earned the victory with one run permitted after collecting six outs. Closing it out, graduate student Karl Blum worked around an unearned run in the ninth for his second save.
 
On a day with winds gusting over 50 miles per hour, Folinusz was able to even the score with a solo home run in the seventh after the game had stood at 4-3 since the second inning. He lifted the opposite-field drive over the wall in right with two outs and no one on base.
 
Wares was able to follow up with perfect inning of relief after the stretch to bring the Scarlet Knights back up. Welsh started the go-ahead rally in the eighth by drawing a leadoff walk on five pitches and later advanced to second on a groundout. That brought up Nyisztor with two outs, who dropped in an RBI double in right-center to give the Scarlet Knights the lead. Redshirt freshman Dan DiGeorgio next beat out an infield single and would be caught up between first and second in a rundown long enough to let Nyisztor to touch home and make it 6-4 in favor of the guests.
 
The Monarchs (3-6) took one back in the bottom of the eighth, but Wares induced a fly ball to left field to strand two in scoring position and keep the lead. Then in the ninth, Harris walked and moved to third with one out. Folinusz would fall behind two strikes before drilling a single through the drawn-in infield for an insurance tally.
 
That run would be needed in the bottom of the ninth. Old Dominion put runners at the corners with no outs against Blum and attempted to steal, but junior Nick Matera fired a dart to second base for the caught stealing. A walk came next, with Matera then snagging a foul pop for the second out. An error kept the game alive before Blum grabbed a comebacker and sprinted to first for the final putout, sealing the one-run victory.
 
The momentum sided towards ODU early after the home team plated four runs in the first inning, but RU responded with three runs on four hits in the top of the second. Walker started it with a one-out single up the middle and advanced to third on a double down the left-field line hit by Welsh. Following a strikeout, Bowerbank delivered a two-run single to put the Scarlet Knights on the board. Nyisztor kept it going with a double, with Bowerbank crossing on a wild pitch to make it 4-3.
 
The scoreboard would freeze at the count as O'Reilly settled in, allowing Rutgers to rally late for the win. Hunter Gregory (0-2) suffered the loss in relief for Old Dominion.
 
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. Freshman Harry Rutkowski will take the ball for the Scarlet Knights.


 
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