MOUNT OLIVE (April 5) – Behind seven extra-base hits on Friday evening, the University of Mount Olive baseball program rolled past Southern Wesleyan by an 18-3 margin in Game 1 of the series at Scarborough Field in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the Trojans hold a 12-game winning streak and improve to 26-8 this season behind a 15-3 record in conference action. Mount Olive has won 11 straight games in the series with SWU and continues to sit atop the league standings. Meanwhile, the Warriors drop to 6-31 overall with a 4-15 mark in league play.
The Trojans brought across four runs in the bottom of the first, all scoring with two outs in the frame. Senior
David Cucci produced a leadoff double up the middle before later scoring on a wild pitch to take a 1-0 edge. Fellow senior
Alden Cottle laced an RBI single through the right side before redshirt junior
Case Kermode belted a two-run double to left field, 4-0.
Following a scoreless second inning, Mount Olive scored four more runs on three hits, highlighted by a two-run double by sophomore
Lane McLean and a two-run single to right-center from senior
Joshua Kabayama, 8-0. In the fifth, Kermode blasted a solo homer to left field, his team-leading fourth of the year, to extend the lead to 9-0. The Warriors countered in the top of the sixth with an RBI double to trail by a 9-1 margin. Senior
Dylan Jeffries produced a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom half of the frame before SWU recorded two additional runs in the seventh, 10-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cucci tallied an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field before the Trojans scored seven runs on three hits in the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore
Davis Halstead registered a pinch-hit RBI single to right field and Cucci laced a two-run triple to left center, 14-3. Cucci later scored a wild pitch before Jeffries belted a three-run homer to left field, his third of the season, 18-3.
Senior
Vito Patierno finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one walk, while Cucci totaled two hits, three RBI, and two runs scored. Kenney registered two hits, two runs scored, and one walk, while Kermode went 2-for-3 with three RBI, three runs scored, and two walks. McLean and Kabayama each recorded two hits and a pair of RBI on Friday.
Redshirt junior
Colbie Howell earned the start and tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and zero walks. Junior
Matt Poole (2-1) earned the win after yielding three runs (one earned) on two hits with one strikeout and three walks over 5.0 innings (72 pitches). Fellow junior
Witt Branham and redshirt freshman
Carter Gipson closed out the final two innings in the win.
The Trojans continue the three-game series with Southern Wesleyan tomorrow, Saturday, April 6, with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
