Wilson, NC - Mount Olive used a late offensive explosion to pull away from Barton, scoring nine runs over the final three innings. This surge, beginning in the seventh inning, broke open a close contest and ultimately secured their 11-5 victory.  With the win, the Trojans move to 17-17 on the season with a chance to capitalize on the next two games tomorrow before the KPI rankings come out on Monday, April 6th.  

Building on their late-inning surge, the Trojans wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, as Josh Mason launched a solo home run to right-center. The early swing set the pace for a Mount Olive lineup that continues to produce, particularly from the middle of the order.

Not to be outdone, Barton answered immediately in their half of the inning with a solo homer from Tyler Hughesman, evening the score at 1-1 after one.

The back-and-forth continued in the following innings as Mount Olive regained the lead in the fourth with steady situational hitting. After putting two runners on, Ryder Hancock delivered an RBI groundout to make it 2-1. The Trojans have benefited from contributions throughout the lineup all season, with Hancock and others complementing their balanced offense.
However, Barton briefly flipped the momentum in the sixth inning, stringing together four hits and taking a 3-2 lead behind a two-RBI single from Cameron Greenway.  Despite the setback in the sixth, Mount Olive's offense—featuring one of the top contact hitters in the league —responded in a big way.

That response came in the key seventh inning, as Jakhari Howard, who came in batting .410 (10th in the conference) with a .526 on-base percentage (8th), helped start a big rally. After the Trojans loaded the bases, Malachi Gales drew a walk to tie the game.

Moments later, riding that momentum from the game-tying walk, Garrett Moffett ripped a bases-clearing triple to center, giving Mount Olive a 6-3 lead. The Trojans capitalized with extra base hits from Rowan Watt (15 doubles, 8th in the conference) and Howard (14 doubles)—ranking among league leaders.
Continuing the rally, Tanner Ferguson then added a sacrifice fly later in the inning, extending the lead to 7-3.

Although Barton scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, Mount Olive kept up the pressure. In the eighth, the Trojans used a Barton error to add two more runs and push the lead to 9-5.

Finally, in the ninth, Josh Mason put the game out of reach with his second homer—a two-run shot to left—providing the final blow and sealing the win for Mount Olive.

On the mound, Carson Gipson got the win, pitching 6.2 innings and giving up five runs, with only three earned, on eight hits. To finish things off, Kole Hopkins was strong in relief, closing out the last 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit.

The Trojans look to finish the series tomorrow, with a doubleheader at noon and 3:00 PM in Wilson.