TIGERVILLE, SC – The University of Mount Olive baseball team went toe-to-toe with the nation's No. 2 team for much of the afternoon before North Greenville University used a late offensive surge to secure a 13-0 victory on Friday.

Mount Olive matched the nationally ranked Crusaders early as the teams traded scoreless frames through the first three innings. The Trojans generated early traffic on the bases, including a leadoff single from Kayden Crawford in the first and another opportunity in the third when Mac James reached and advanced into scoring position following a sacrifice bunt and balk.

The Trojans' best scoring chance came in the fifth inning when Tanner Ferguson drew a walk, and Tariq Talley followed with a single to put two aboard. Rowan Watt later added a base hit to load the bases, but North Greenville escaped the jam to preserve the scoreless tie.

North Greenville finally broke through in the fourth inning when Josh Foulks connected for a solo home run to center field, giving the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.

The game remained tight into the middle innings before North Greenville created separation in the sixth. A leadoff double followed by a defensive miscue set the stage for a three-run frame, pushing the Crusaders' lead to 4-0.

North Greenville added four more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run home run from Lane McGaha. The Crusaders continued their offensive push in the eighth inning with five runs on a series of extra-base hits to extend the final margin to 13-0.

Gipson (2-2) absorbed the loss but provided a solid performance, tossing 7.0 innings with six strikeouts while allowing eight runs, six earned, on nine hits. Shane Lanier worked the eighth inning in relief for the Trojans.

Crawford, Talley, Watt, Ferguson, and James each recorded hits for Mount Olive, which applied pressure early and remained within striking distance of the nation's second-ranked squad through much of the contest before North Greenville's late surge broke the game open.

The Trojans will look to build on their competitive effort as they return to play tomorrow with games scheduled for 12:00 & 3:00 PM against the Trailblazers.