NORFOLK, Va. — Shaun Wood haunted his former team with a walk-off grand slam and Old Dominion beat West Virginia 8-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.
The Mountaineers rebounded for a 3-1 victory in Game 2.
The split moved WVU’s record to 8-6 while Old Dominion stands 10-4.
Wood’s game-winning blast off reliever Jackson Sigman culminated a five-run ninth in which ODU rallied behind only two hits.
Freshman Ryan McDonald (0-1), after two scoreless innings in relief of BJ Myers, started the ninth with a 4-3 lead before a walk, a single and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. Sigman came on to get a strikeout before hitting a batter to score the tying run.
That brought up Wood, the senior WVU transfer who’s batting .366, but went 1-for-8 in the doubleheader.
In the second game, Kyle Davis homered and West Virginia sophomore Michael Grove (1-1) struck out 11 over five no-hit innings.
“He was the Michael Grove of old, right when we needed it,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “That was the most encouraging thing, watching him pitch those last few innings today.
“He took it upon himself to put this team on his shoulders after the way we lost the first game. That’s what we need when something like that happens. Carry the team, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Freshman reliever Kade Strowd carried the no-hitter into the seventh but ultimately allowed two hits over three innings.
Alek Manoah earned his second save with a hitless ninth