ATLANTA, GA (WTKR)- The Sun Belt baseball standings are plenty bunched up entering the final series of the regular season and Old Dominion is right in the thick of things.
Part of a three-way tie for seventh in the conference, the Monarchs opened up their road set against Georgia State with a 6-4 win Thursday night. The victory improved their league record to 14-14, putting them into a two-way deadlock in the seventh spot. The top six earn byes to the main Sun Belt Tournament draw and avoid a four-team single elimination playoff.
Kenny Levari opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, but the Panthers answered with solo home runs in each of the first two frames to move in front.
Georgia State would hold a 3-2 advantage in the top of the sixth when the biggest hit of the night took place. With two runners on base, Maverick Stallings stepped up to the plate, worked the count full and belted a three-run home run over the left field wall, which would eventually serve as the game-winning knock.
TJ Aiken and Evan Holman each tallied two-hit nights for ODU. Kellen Davis picked up the victory in relief, while Vincent Bashara pitched the final three frames, striking out five, to earn the save.
Old Dominion and Georgia State are back in action Friday at noon for game two of their series.
