University of Mount Olive defeated Winston-Salem State University 5-1 in non-conference baseball at Scarborough Field Friday afternoon. Zak Orrison led the Trojans with a bases-clearing single in the fourth to give Mount Olive the lead for good.
Mount Olive (29-19) got cooking after a scoreless top of the first. Zak Orrison led off the inning with a single back up the middle. Orrison stole second and moved up to third on a groundout by Jack Sherrill. Stephen Wallace drove home the first run of the game with a double into the gap in left-center and Orrison scored. One run was all the Trojans scratched across as a strikeout ended the threat in the first.
Winston-Salem State struck back in the top of the third. Jason Baytop singled to right with one away to put a runner on for the Rams. Following a fly out, Randy Norris singled up the middle just past the outstretched glove of the Trojan second baseman.
The third base hit of the inning pushed the first Rams run across as Landon Stein's RBI-single scored Baytop from second and the game was tied.
The Trojans answered in the bottom of the fourth. Bradley Ragan singled with one away to start the inning. Ricky Surum drew a walk and both runners then moved up on a wild pitch. Brandon Day picked up the second walk of the inning and loaded the bases. Orrison cleared the bases as he hit a towering pop fly to shallow left.
The Rams were unable to get underneath of the ball as it fell and Day, Surum, and Ragan all came in. The last out was recorded on the play as Orrison was caught leaning off of second base and was tagged out in a rundown between second and third, but not before Mount Olive took a 4-1 lead.
Mount Olive added a solo run in the bottom of the seventh off an RBI-single by Brett Lang.
The Trojans closed the door following the run, as Mount Olive only allowed on hit for the remaining two innings and took the final score 5-1.
Brighton Hudson (6-3) picked up the win as he went five complete and allowed one run off three hits and struck out six.
Mount will remain home as the Trojans will face Chowan University Wednesday, May 11 at 2 p.m.