MOUNT OLIVE (March 28) – After featuring seven pitchers and recording nine strikeouts, the Trojans captured a 7-0 win over Coker in non-conference play at Scarborough Field on Tuesday night.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive baseball team extended their win streak to six straight and improved to 22-7 this season with a 13-2 mark at home. The Trojans secured their eighth consecutive win over the Cobras, including winning both games in the series this year. Meanwhile, Coker snaps its four-game winning streak and drops to 14-21 overall behind a 7-10 record on the road.

In the bottom of the first inning, junior Vito Patierno led off the frame with a single to right-center before stealing second base. The next at-bat, senior Jack Casbarro hit an RBI single through the right side to give UMO an early 1-0 advantage. After a scoreless second inning, the Trojans extended their lead with two more runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, Patierno drew a walk before Casbarro laced a double into right-center field to place a pair of runners into scoring position. During the next at-bat, Patierno crossed the plate on a wild pitch before graduate student Landon Choboy delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, 3-0.

Following consecutive scoreless frames, the Trojans escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half of the inning, Choboy laced a leadoff homer to left field, his second of the year, to stretch the lead to 4-0. Following a walk, senior Joshua Jones doubled down the left-field line before a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with no outs. The next at-bat, junior Jackson Taylor produced a sacrifice fly to center field to pull ahead 5-0. In the bottom of the seventh, Casbarro registered a single up the middle before swiping back-to-back bases. Choboy drew a walk and advanced into scoring position on a stolen base to put two runners into scoring position. With one out, senior JT Stone ripped a two-run ground-rule double to center field to stretch the advantage to 7-0.

Casbarro finished the game 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored, while Choboy and Stone each registered a multi-RBI performance.

On the mound, Mount Olive featured seven pitchers which limited the Cobras to just four hits with nine strikeouts. Junior Justin Koehler earned the win (3-0) after tossing 2.0 innings of scoreless relief with one strikeout. Senior Hunter Stevens looked impressive in the start as he tallied three strikeouts with zero hits surrendered. Sophomore Tristan Purser and senior Trey Deutsch each pitched 1.0 inning with two strikeouts in the win.

Mount Olive returns to the field on Friday, March 31, when they begin a three-game series versus No. 1 North Greenville at Scarborough Field, starting at 4 p.m.