MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 14) – Fifth-year
John Horton tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a Game 1 victory on Friday afternoon, as the No. 11 Trojans split a doubleheader versus Francis Marion in the Conference Carolinas Opener at Scarborough Field.
With the split, the University of Mount Olive men's baseball program stands at 6-3 this season with a 1-1 record in conference play. The two sides were featured in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll following strong starts to 2025. Meanwhile, Francis Marion moves to 9-1 overall behind a 1-1 mark in league play under first-year head coach Jeff Jefferson.
In Game 1, Horton yielded just two hits with three strikeouts and one walk over 7.0 scoreless innings of work (82 pitches). He retired the side in order four times while forcing nine flyouts and eight groundouts in his third start of the year. Redshirt sophomore
Carter Gipson and sophomore
Colin Athey closed out the final two frames to complete the shutout.
Redshirt senior
Mike Kenney put UMO ahead by a 2-0 margin on a two-run double to left-center following an 11-pitch battle at the plate in the bottom of the first.
Following a pair of scoreless innings, the Trojans erupted for seven runs on six hits while capitalizing on three errors in the bottom of the fourth. After back-to-back singles to start the frame, junior
Ryder Hancock laced a two-run triple to right-center to stretch the lead to 4-0. Hancock scored during the next at-bat off a throwing error by the catcher. Junior
Lane McLean delivered an RBI single up the middle with one out before junior
Kayden Crawford recorded an RBI double to right field, 7-0. Following a pitching change, UMO tallied two additional runs on a fielder's choice and an RBI single by Kenney to hold a 9-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, redshirt sophomore
Jon Howard belted a two-run homer to left field, his team-leading fourth of the year, to grab an 11-0 advantage. Freshman
Connor Tepatti drove in the final run with a pinch-hit RBI single to left field to capture a 12-0 win.
Kenney finished 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run scored, and one walk, while Crawford totaled two hits, one RBI, three runs scored, one walk, and a stolen base.
In Game 2, the Trojans once again scored in the bottom of the first as Howard ripped an RBI single to left-center to take a 1-0 edge. Francis Marion countered in the top of the second after scoring an RBI groundout to second base, 1-1. Both sides tallied a run on a wild pitch to tie the contest at 2-2 through three frames.
The Patriots took the lead in the top of the fifth with a two-out two-run single up the middle, 4-2. Mount Olive cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single to right field. The Trojans were unable to find the game-tying run in the seventh in a 4-3 loss on Saturday.
Junior
Carson Gipson suffered the loss (0-1) after surrendering four earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings. Freshman
Pete Honse tossed 2.1 scoreless frames to finish the contest with two strikeouts.
Mount Olive will conclude the series with Francis Marion tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15, at Scarborough Field with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
