Saturday, February 2, 2008

NO. 6 MOUNT OLIVE SWEEP NO. 7 TUSCULUM IN BASEBALL OPENERS

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. --- The No. 6 Mount Olive baseball team swept a season-opening doubleheader over seventh-ranked Tusculum, Saturday afternoon at Scarborough Field.

Mount Olive (2-0) won the opener 3-2 as the winning-run was balked home from third in the seventh inning. In the second game, Alex Vertcnik singled home the winning runs in the eighth as the Trojans were victorious in game two, 6-4.

Game 1: No. 6 Mount Olive 3, No. 7 Tusculum 2

In the season opener for both teams, Anthony Williams scored on a balk in the bottom of the seventh and reliever Patrick Ball put down a late threat as Mount Olive edged Tusculum 3-2.

Tusculum’s Maikol Gonzalez got the Pioneers on the scoreboard first in the third inning when he singled home Carlos Rivera. After Mount Olive scored two runs in the fourth, the Pioneers knotted the game at 2-2 in the sixth when Matt Ford singled home Gonzalez.

In the MOC seventh, Williams led off with a single and was bunted over. He later moved to third on a ground out. With two outs, TC reliever Carlos Ortiz (0-1) was called for a balk, scoring Williams from third.

Tusculum would rally in the seventh and had the tying run at second base with two outs, but Ball came ended the threat with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Nick Howington to preserve the victory.

Gonzalez and Ford each went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Pioneers. MOC’s Todd Jeffrey’s was credited with the win for the Trojans.

Game 2: No. 6 Mount Olive 6, No. 7 Tusculum 4

In the second game, Mount Olive plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Trojans won 6-4.

Mount Olive jumped out to a 2-0 lead, plating a run in the second and third innings. Tusculum rallied to take the lead in the fourth inning as Ford and Sean Cotten led off with back-to-back home runs to tie the game at 2-2. Matt Webb would reach on a single and move to second on a walk. After a ground out placed runners on the corners, Webb and Eric Barclay pulled off a double-steal, with Webb scoring from third and giving the Pioneers the one-run advantage (3-2).

Tusculum added a run in the fifth, but Mount Olive answered with two in the bottom of the frame as the score was tied 4-4 heading into the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, Vertcnik came through with a one-out, two-run single to win the game.

Cotten finished the game going 2-for-2, including a home run, a triple and two RBI.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.

- TC –

Game 1	123	456	789	R	H	E
Tusculum	001	001	000	2	6	2
Mount Olive	000	200	10x	3	7	0
Win – Jeffreys (1-0); Loss – Ortiz (0-1); SV – Ball
Game 2	123	456	789	R	H	E
Tusculum	000	310	000	4	6	1
Mount Olive	011	020	02x	6	10	2
Win – Schlecht (1-0); Loss – Keleher (0-1)