NORFOLK, Va. – With one out in the top of the tenth inning,
Hunter Wilder lined the first pitch of his at-bat over the wall in right field to propel the Mountaineers to a 4-3 win over Old Dominion Saturday at Bud Metheny Ballpark.
The victory is App State's 30th win of the year, marking back-to-back seasons in which the Mountaineers have reached the 30-win plateau for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 campaigns.
For the second weekend in a row, an exceptional start from
Dante Chirico that was the catalyst in the win. Chirico tossed a career-high eight innings, the most by a Mountaineer pitcher this season and struck out eight without walking a batter.
The right-hander did not allow a run until his final inning of work, scattering seven hits across his eight innings. At one point the senior retired eight Monarchs in a row, and he did not allow a base runner past second base until the sixth inning.
The Mountaineers (30-16-1, 15-10-1) provided Chirico with some early run support. With one out in the first inning,
Drew Holderbach doubled to left, and
Banks Tolley drove him home one batter later with an opposite field single.
After advancing to second base on a throw home and to third on a wild pitch, Tolley came in to score on a
CJ Boyd RBI groundout to give the Black and Gold a 2-0 lead.
In the third inning,
Austin St. Laurent led off the frame with a solo home run to left field for his 14th home run of the season.
After breaking up the shutout in the eighth inning, the Monarchs tied the score in the bottom of the ninth on a two-run home run off of
Zach Lewis. The Mountaineers closer rebounded well, striking out a pair to force extra innings and ultimately collected the win in the contest following the Wilder go-ahead homer.
Cody Little earned the save, picking up a bases-loaded strikeout with two outs in the tenth inning to seal the extra-inning win.
The Mountaineers will go for the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. in Norfolk.
The 2024 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
