February 23, 2008

Game 1
Game 2

LAURINBURG, N.C.—Mount Olive College, currently ranked No. 2 nationally in both the College Baseball Top 30 and Ping Baseball Top 30, ripped 24 hits on Saturday afternoon en route to a Conference Carolinas baseball doubleheader sweep of host St. Andrews Presbyterian College. MOC won the opener 11-1 (nine innings) and the nightcap 13-2 (seven innings) at neutral Scotland High School’s McCoy Field due to field construction at SAPC’s Clark Field.

Senior Anthony Williams (Williamston, N.C.) collected five hits as the Trojans, who boast a 15-1 overall record, extended their win streak to 13 games. Classmates Josh Harrison (Wake Forest, N.C.) and Jason Sherrer (Mesa, Ariz.) drove in six and five runs, respectively, as Mount Olive starts 2-0 in Conference Carolinas action. Harrison and Sherrer each drilled four hits apiece including their fourth home runs of the season.

Senior catcher Kyle Norris (Laurel Hill, N.C.) had a team-high three hits for the Knights (4-10 Overall; 0-5 Conference Carolinas) including his second home run of the year.

The two teams will play the finale of the three-game league series at Scotland High School on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

Game 1: Mount Olive 11, St. Andrews 1

Sherrer broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning of the series opener with a grand slam to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead. With the bases loaded and one out, Sherrer crushed his fourth homer of the year to left-center emptying the bases.

Mount Olive senior right-handed starter Ryan Schlecht (Scottsdale, Ariz.) held St. Andrews to just one unearned run on five hits over 8.0 innings of work. Schlecht improved to 4-0 with eight strikeouts while senior Anthony Hernandez (Hubert, N.C.) pitched a perfect ninth inning.

St. Andrews cut the deficit to 4-1 with their lone run coming in the bottom of the seventh. After Norris reached base on an error, sophomore Jeremy Fisher (Cantonsville, Md.) plated Norris with a single up the middle.

The Trojans pulled away from the Knights late with two runs in the eight and five more in the ninth. Junior Rich Racobaldo (Marlton, N.J.) started the late scoring surge with a walk and later scoring on a wild pitch. Harrison followed with a double and then scored on a double steal attempt. In the ninth, Harrison capped the 10-run victory with a three-run home run. Harrison smoked his fourth homer of the year to right field. Senior Erik Lovett (Goldsboro, N.C.), the defending NCAA Division II Player of the Year, added a two-run single in the ninth.

Harrison was 3-for-4 in the first game while Sherrer was 2-for-3 with four RBI, a grand slam, and two walks. Harrison and Racobaldo each crossed home plate three times.

Junior J.T. Maguire (Jarrettsville, Md.) had two singles to lead St. Andrews offensively.

Game 2: Mount Olive 13, St. Andrews 2

Mount Olive busted open the nightcap with five runs in both the second and fifth. The Trojans added one run in the third, fourth, and seventh en route to the 11-run victory.

Trojans senior starter Casey Hodges (Rocky Mount, Va.) received more than enough run support as he fanned 11 batters over 6.0 innings of work. Hodges (2-0) earned his second win of the season allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out 11 of the 20 batters he faced. Junior Kyle Jones (Greenville, N.C.) pitched a scoreless seventh for MOC.

Mount Olive started the scoring with six straight hits in the second. Harrison started the stretch with a single and scoring on a Sherrer double. Racobaldo then drove in Sherrrer with his own double. Sophomore Jesse Lancaster (Goldsboro, N.C.) and Williams added back-to-back RBI-singles while both stealing second base. Senior David Cooper (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) capped the rally with another RBI-single.

Racobaldo drew a bases-loaded walk in the third to score the Trojans sixth run in the third. Harrison supplied a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a two-run single to cap another five-run outburst in the fifth. Cooper added a two-run single and junior Alex Vertcnik (Waukesha, Wis.) had a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Lovett finished off the MOC scoring with an RBI-groundout in the seventh.

Five different Trojans batters collected five hits -- Cooper, Harrison, Sherrer, Racobaldo, and Williams -- as Mount Olive scored 13 runs on 14 hits. Cooper and Harrison each drove in three runs.

Norris provided the Knights with both of their runs in the fourth with a two-run bomb over the centerfield fence. Norris’ second home run of the season was his second hit of the game.