Monarchs knock off No. 17 ECU
Andrea Dalatri’s three-run home run in the top of the 12th inning lifted Old Dominion to a 6-5 victory over 17th-ranked East Carolina on Wednesday night in Greenville, North Carolina.
ODU (6-2) handed the Pirates their first home loss of the season and picked up its first win over ECU since 2014.
“It was a really good college baseball game. I thought we showed a ton of toughness and resilience,” ODU coach Chris Finwood said. “It’s a tough place to play and we hung in there and finally got a big hit. I was really proud of our guys tonight.”
Kyle Battle and Carter Trice homered in the first four innings for the Monarchs, and Kenny Levari drove in Trice in the ninth inning to tie it at 3. ODU’s Jason Hartline struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
In the 12th, Andy Garriola led off with a walk and Dominick Claxton delivered a bunt single before Dalatri’s three-run home run, which went into the trees beyond the fence in left field.
The Pirates scored two runs in their half of the 12th.
ODU’s Jacob Gomez earned the win and was part of a Monarchs staff that fanned 14. Gomez came on in the 10th, struck out a batter with two runners on and retired three straight batters in the 11th.
Down to three players by the game’s end because of foul trouble, Norfolk State’s women’s basketball team fell 65-61 Thursday at North Carolina Central.
NSU began the game with seven players available, but four committed five fouls apiece. The Spartans, who played fouron-five for most of the last two minutes, next will prepare for the MEAC tournament March 11 at Scope.
The Eagles, who lost by 19 points Wednesday in the first of a two-game series in Durham, bounced back to gain a split. NSU (4-8, 3-5 MEAC) made just 20 of 57 shots from the field and committed 26 turnovers.
NSU got 14 points from Jalynn Holmes, 13 from Armani Franklin and 12 from Tangela Ngandjui. NCCU (4-11, 2-6) got double-digit scoring from three players, led by 18 points from Anissa Rivera, and avenged Wednesday’s 83-64 defeat.
A Camryn Platt-Morris basket for NSU tied the score at 60 with 44 seconds to go. NCCU’s Necole Hope was fouled after an offensive rebound and sank two free throws with 23 seconds left, and Central stayed ahead, NSU missed two 3-pointers that would’ve tied the score. Holmes, Platt-Morris and E’Lexus Davis were the only Spartans who played but didn’t foul out.