March 17, 2007

Release contributed by Mount Olive sports information

Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C.—Erik Lovett drove in six runs and broke a 5-5 in the fourth inning with a three-run homer as nationally 26th-ranked Mount Olive erased an early deficit to defeat St. Andrews 18-8 in game one of a Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Scarborough Field. The Trojans completed the sweep and extended their winning streak to six as Judson Smith tossed a complete-game three-hitter, while Dustin Richardson and Scott Houin both homered in a 7-1 victory in game two.

Mount Olive (24-8 overall, 9-2 CVAC) overcame a 5-3 deficit as David Cooper led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and scored on Stephen Nordan’s double. Nordan came home on Houin’s triple to tie the game and Richardson drew a walk. Lovett followed with his team-leading 10th home run to put the Trojans ahead to stay 8-5.

St. Andrews (12-18, 3-8) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Ivan Rodgriguez led off the game with a double and scored on a one-out triple by Michael Eastwood, who came home on a ground out to the right side.

Mount Olive answered with two runs in the bottom of the second and after the Knights regained the lead in the top of the third, Lovett’s rbi-single tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the third. Eric Stone’s rbi-single sparked a two-run fourth inning for St. Andrews, but Mount Olive would take the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.

Run-scoring singles in the fifth by Houin and Richardson made it a 10-5 contest and the Trojans broke the game open with four-run innings in the seventh and eighth.

Nordan, who came within a single of hitting for the cycle, belted a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Josh Carter belted a two-run double to extend the Trojans’ lead to 14-5. Rodriguez’ two-run double ignited a three-run eighth inning for St. Andrews as the Knights pulled within 14-8.

Anthony Williams led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and Lovett added a two-run single as the Trojans picked up their third consecutive double-digit victory. Houin, who singled, doubled and tripled in the game, lost his bid to hit for the cycle by drawing a walk in the inning.

Tom Layne (5-1) allowed five runs in six innings for the win. Weston Curles pitched the final three innings for the Trojans. Mike Mianulli (2-1), the second of seven St. Andrews pitchers, took the loss. The game took four hours to complete.

Nordan went 3-for-4 with four runs batted and reached base in all of his six plate appearances, drawing two walks and reaching on an error. Lovett and Houin also had three hits apiece for Mount Olive, which collected 16 hits.

In game two, Mount Olive scored two runs in the bottom of the first as Cooper scored on Houin’s sacrifice fly and Richardson hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season. Carter’s rbi-single in the third extended the Trojans’ lead to 3-0.

Nordan drew a walk to lead off the fifth inning and Houin followed with a home run that hit off the scoreboard behind the fence in right-center field. The home run was Houin’s sixth of the season. Richardson scored on a single by Lovett, who came home on Casey Hodges’ single up the middle to cap the four-run inning.

After allowing only an infield single through two innings, Smith (5-1) ran into trouble in the third as St. Andrews loaded the bases on a single and two walks. But Smith got out of the jam and went on to retire 10 of the next 11 batters he faced. Smith lost his bid for his first shutout as a Trojan on Zach Dunn’s rbi-double in the top of the seventh.

Smith struck out seven and walked three. Starter Ryan Curley (2-3) took the loss for St. Andrews.

Lovett and Carter finished with two hits apiece for Mount Olive.

The two teams conclude their three-game series with a single game Sunday at Scarborough Field. Game time is 1 p.m.