MOUNT OLIVE (April 2) – After quickly establishing a 6-0 lead in the initial two innings of the game, the Trojans cruised past Wingate by a 12-4 margin in a non-conference Southeast Regional matchup at Scarborough Field on Tuesday evening.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive baseball program stretches its winning streak to 11 straight and improves to 25-8 overall with an impressive 15-3 mark at home. The Trojans earn back-to-back wins over the Bulldogs in a single season for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile, Wingate falls to 20-14 this season behind a 7-8 record on the road.
Senior right-handed pitcher
Justin Koehler improved to 4-0 this season after yielding one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in 6.0 innings pitched. The Trojans featured four pitchers over the final three frames, which tallied seven strikeouts and one walk.
In the bottom of the first, Mount Olive registered five runs on three hits, as senior
Vito Patierno started the frame with an RBI single to center field. Three additional players produced an RBI on a walk while redshirt junior
Case Kermode brought in a run on a fielder's choice, 5-0. UMO extended the lead to 6-0 in the second inning with an RBI single to right field by Kermode. The Bulldogs cut into the deficit in the top of the third frame with an RBI single to right field to trail by a 6-1 margin.
The Trojans built a 7-1 advantage in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double to right center from senior
Joshua Kabayama. In the fifth inning, senior
Alden Cottle added the lead with a two-out two-run double to right center to hold a 9-1 edge. Mount Olive would bring across three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 12-1 lead. Wingate trimmed the deficit to 12-3 behind a pair of hits in the seventh before scoring the contest's final run in the eighth, 12-4.
Senior
Dylan Jeffries finished 3-for-4 with one RBI, one walk, and two runs scored, while fifth-year
David Cucci went 2-for-2 with one RBI, two walks, two runs scored, and three stolen bases.
Mount Olive returns to Scarborough Field on Friday, April 5, to begin a three-game series versus Southern Wesleyan with the first pitch scheduled at 5 p.m.
