NORFOLK, Va. – Rutgers baseball (5-8) took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Old Dominion (11-2) scored three runs on five hits in the last frame to walk-off with an 8-7 Saturday win at the Metheny Baseball Complex.
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"We had several guys that had very good offensive days," head coach
Steve Owens said. "Richie had a good day, Kevin was very good at the plate. I was happy to see Victor pick up two RBIs in key spots. So there were a lot of bright spots offensively.
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"Tommy gave us a solid start, but we gave up six runs after he left before getting 11 outs. Too many wild pitches, balks and the inability to strike guys out. There were a bunch of singles against us in key spots. We didn't do a good job today pitching out of the bullpen. That's disappointing because we played a good game and expanded our lead, but it wasn't enough to put them away. We did some stuff better today than yesterday, struck out less and had 14 hits. Progress in one area, but two steps back in another. On to tomorrow."
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The Scarlet Knights reached double-digit hits for the fifth time this season, with senior
Kevin Welsh going 3-for-5 with a single, a double and a homer. It was his eighth collegiate game with three hits and his fourth long ball. Redshirt sophomore
Richie Schiekofer reached base all five trips on two hit by pitches, a double, a single and an intentional walk to raise his on-base percentage to a team-leading .443. In addition, redshirt sophomore
Tim Dezzi had his fifth multiple-hit game, junior
Mike Nyisztor extended his hitting streak to 12 games and redshirt junior
Danny DiGeorgio scored two runs on three times on base. Sophomore
Victor Valderrama notched a pair of sacrifice flies.
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"I'm just sticking to approach that we're having as a team," Welsh said. "Just trying to put together good at bats."
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On the mound, fifth-year senior
Tommy Genuario left with the lead after 5.1 innings, being charged with three runs and five hits in the start. Senior
Eric Reardon collected the next five outs, including retiring the side in order against the top of the lineup in the seventh. Sophomore
Parker Scott (0-1) held the lead after eight innings, but the Monarchs rallied in the ninth.
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RU built a 5-0 lead with four in the second and one in the fifth, but ODU responded with two in the fourth and sixth to make it 5-4. However, Rutgers tacked on in both the seventh and ninth, but could not hold the lead. Old Dominion won the game on a one-out single from Kyle Battle, as Michael Parmentier (2-0) recorded the final two outs in the top of the ninth for the win.
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