Trojans Fall To USC Aiken In Series Finale Slugfest

Mount Olive, N.C. --- The University of Mount Olive baseball team dropped a slugfest to preseason nationally 6th-ranked USC Aiken, 9-6, on Sunday afternoon in Mount Olive, N.C.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USC Aiken 9, Mount Olive 6
Records: Mount Olive (6-3), USC Aiken (8-2)
Location: Scarborough Field, Mount Olive, N.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

GAME RUNDOWN

• USC Aiken got going offensively early on as the Pacers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first before Trojan pitcher Brighton Hudson struck out a Pacer to strand the bases loaded.
• The Pacers jumped on top of Mount Olive in the top of the second as a pair of home runs gave USC Aiken a 4-0 lead.
• Junior Drew Ellis sliced the Pacers' lead in half with a two-run blast to right field that pushed UMO within a pair of runs at 4-2 in the bottom of the second.
• The Trojans continued to find success with the long ball as senior Zach Mozingo crushed a three-run homer over the right field fence to give the Trojans a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the third.
• In the top of the fifth, USC Aiken tied the ballgame at five on a solo home run.
• The Pacers pushed ahead in the seventh as a sacrifice fly RBI gave USC Aiken the 6-5 lead.
• Breaking it open in the eighth, USC Aiken scored three more runs on an RBI base hit and a two-run home run to right field that gave the Pacers a 9-5 advantage.
• The Trojans got a run back on a solo shot by Ellis in the eighth, but UMO could draw no closer as USC Aiken shut down the Trojans in the ninth in the Pacers' 9-6 win.

KEY STATS

• Hudson pitched 4.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, while striking out half-a-dozen and receiving a no-decision.
• Junior Ethan Horne (0-1) was credited with the loss, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing an earned run on three hits.
• Ellis and Mozingo each finished with three RBIs to lead the Trojans, with Ellis picking up a pair of homers to Mozingo's single home run.

Up Next

Mount Olive returns to action on Tuesday at Scarborough Field as the Trojans will take on St. Augustine's University in a non-conference matchup at 2 p.m. in Mount Olive, N.C.