Old Dominion baseball secured a Sun Belt series victory over No. 8 Coastal Carolina, winning the rubber match 9-2 on Sunday at Springs Brooks Stadium.
The Monarchs improved to 27-24 overall and 13-14 in conference play, while the Chanticleers dropped to 34-17 and 20-7 in the Sun Belt. The series win was Old Dominion’s first against a Top 10 opponent since taking two of three games from No. 7 Southern Miss in May 2022.
Starter Jackson Okonkwo set the tone early with four scoreless innings. He worked around a leadoff walk in the first, retired the side in order in the second, stranded two runners in the third, and struck out two batters in the fourth.
Old Dominion jumped ahead immediately when Will Johnson homered on the second pitch of the game for his fourth home run of the season. The Monarchs added three runs in the third inning after loading the bases with one out. Efrain Morales reached on a fielder’s choice, and a Coastal Carolina error allowed Macaddin Dye to score. Zach Leite and Maverick Stallings followed with consecutive RBI singles to push the lead to 4-0. Johnson added another RBI in the fourth with a two-out single to right-center, scoring Dye to make it 5-0.
Coastal Carolina scored its first run in the sixth inning after Jackson Winer delivered an RBI single following two walks. Old Dominion turned to reliever Nick Sulpizio, who struck out two straight batters looking to end the threat. The Monarchs answered in the seventh when Morales led off with a single and later scored on a Coastal Carolina error during a fielder’s choice. The Chanticleers cut the deficit to 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh after Ty Barrango was hit by a pitch and later scored on a fielder’s choice.
Old Dominion added insurance in the eighth after Dye and Nick Felton collected hits, followed by a sacrifice fly from Scotty Young. Morales added another RBI single later in the inning. The Monarchs scored their final run in the ninth when Stallings came home on a Felton single. After allowing one run in the seventh, Sulpizio retired the final seven batters he faced, ending the game with a called strikeout.
Johnson led the Monarchs offensively, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt. Dye finished 3-for-5 with three runs, Felton went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Morales added two hits, two runs, and one RBI. Sulpizio improved to 2-1, allowing one run on two hits over 3.2 innings while striking out six without a walk. Okonkwo received a no-decision after allowing three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts over four scoreless innings. Patrick Johnson and Bailey Matela also made relief appearances.
The victory marked Old Dominion’s third ranked win of the season, following previous victories over then-No. 8 Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina earlier in the weekend. The Monarchs outhit the Chanticleers 13-6 and reached base with the leadoff hitter five times. They finished 13-for-38 at the plate and hit .455 with runners in scoring position. Johnson capped an impressive series by batting .643 with two doubles, one home run, five runs scored, and four RBIs across the three games. Defensively, the junior shortstop recorded six putouts and four assists. Coastal Carolina had not lost a conference series since dropping two games to Troy in March 2024.