Box Score Junior Matt Dillon tossed Mount Olive's first nine-inning complete game of the season and Bradon Reitano drove in five as the Trojans extended their winning streak to 14 games with a 14-1 Conference Carolinas baseball win over Erskine Friday night at Scarborough Field. Trojan catcher Geno Escalante extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a sixth-inning single, and scored four runs.
Dillon (5-0) was rarely challenged by the Flying Fleet bats. He was within two outs of a shutout before Erskine pushed across an unearned run in the ninth. Dillon needed just 51 pitches to make his way through the first six innings. Dillon never got to three balls on an opposing batter in the first six frames.
The Mount Olive (25-6 overall, 13-2 Conference Carolinas) offense made life easy Dillon, scoring in each of the first four innings. The Trojans chased starter Robbie Brown (5-3) in a four-run first, then pounded three more Erskine pitchers for a 9-0 lead after four. Jacob Rogers and Jermaine Berry brought home first-inning runs before Reitano bounced a single to left to make it 4-0.
An inning later Antonio Callaway manufactured a run with his speed. His hustle turned a fly ball single into a double, then a stolen base later, he scored on a passed ball. Will Bynum stretched the lead to six with an RBI-single in the third. Reitano blew the game open in the fourth. Rogers led off with a single, then an error later, Berry singled home one run and Reitano doubled home two more.
An RBI-groundout by Cameron Sherrer and a run-scoring hit by Bryan Dunlavey pushed the Trojans into double-figures for the 13th time during their winning streak.
Mount Olive finished with 13 hits. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit.
Josh Purvis broke up the shutout with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Dillon, a transfer from Guilford Tech, remained perfect as a Trojan, walking two and striking out six. He tossed a seven-inning complete game March 17 at Coker.
The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.