Salisbury, NC –
Josh Mason delivered a historic performance Tuesday night, hitting for the cycle as the Trojans secured an 8–5 victory over No. 3 Catawba in non-conference action.
As just the sixth player in program history to hit for the cycle, Mason became the first Trojan in over 13 years to achieve the feat. On Feb. 2, 2013, against Lenoir-Rhyne, Mike Mercurio was the last Mount Olive player to record a cycle.
Building on Mason's historic cycle, the University of Mount Olive baseball team improves its recent form to 8 wins in its last 10 games and secures its second victory of the season over the nationally ranked Indians.
Carrying the momentum into the top of the first inning, Mason ignited the offense with a triple to right-center. He then crossed the plate on a passed ball, giving the Trojans an early 1–0 lead. In the bottom half, Catawba tied the game with a run. The Trojans regained the edge in the second when Jeremiah McLamb delivered an RBI single to bring in a run. In the third inning, Mason doubled down the line and junior
Rowan Watt immediately followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4–1.
As the game progressed, the Indians responded with a run in the fourth and another in the sixth to tie it at 5–5. However, Mason delivered again in the seventh, launching a go-ahead solo home run to left field to put Mount Olive back in front for good, 6–5. He later completed the historic cycle with a single in the eighth.
Continuing their push, the Trojans created separation in the ninth. McLamb hit a sacrifice fly to plate one run. Senior
Mac James then followed with an RBI single up the middle, extending the margin to 8–5.
Earning the win in relief,
Gabe Adams kept the Trojans ahead through the sixth. In the final 3.0 scoreless innings, sophomore
Kole Hopkins picked up the save, retiring the side in order in the eighth and striking out four to seal the victory.
The Trojans continue in the tail end of the season, looking to face off against Shorter in a three-game series, with the first game scheduled for 4:00 PM on Friday.