No. 11 Mount Olive Baseball Splits Series Opener With King

BRISTOL, TENN. --- In the series opener the No. 11 University of Mount Olive Trojans split the Conference Carolinas doubleheader with the King University Tornado falling in game one 6-3 before taking game two 9-5 in Bristol, Tenn., Saturday.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: 
Game 1: King 6, Mount Olive 3
Game 2: Mount Olive 9, King 5

Records: Mount Olive (16-6, 7-3 CC) King (10-10, 5-4 CC)
Location: King Baseball Field, Bristol, Tenn.

How It Happened
Game 1: Play-by-Play
Game 2: Play-by-Play

GAME ONE

• Mount Olive found themselves behind, but late as King was not able to put a run on the board until the fourth.
• A sacrifice fly scored the run for the Tornado in the fourth and a second run was added in the fifth on a passed ball.
• The only runs UMO could score were in the sixth set up by a lead-off walk to Gunner Tolston and Joe Mason getting hit by a pitch.
• JT Stone gave the Trojans a 3-2 lead with a three-run home run to right, but it was a lead that would not hold.
• King came back in the bottom of the seventh scoring the tying run on a UMO error and then took the lead with an RBI-double and a wild pitch that allowed a third run to score.
• Mount Olive had runners on in the eighth and ninth innings but could not find the tying runs and fell 6-3.

GAME TWO

• Mount Olive started the second game with the bats on fire as in the top of the first Blake McLean led off with a walk and was followed with Stone getting hit by a pitch and Mason getting a single to right to load the bases.
• Nate Estes flew out to right but was far enough for McLean to tag up and score on the sacrifice and UMO took a 1-0 lead.
• Zack Smith followed with an RBI-single through the right side that allowed Stone to come home for the second run of the inning.
• After a strikeout, RBI base hits by Tolston and Logan Welch gave the Trojans a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.
• King responded with two runs in the bottom half cutting the Mount Olive lead in half.
• The Tornado tied the game in the fourth on an RBI-single and the two squads were knotted at four.
• Mount Olive pushed themselves back in front with an RBI-single by Junior Snow in the third and led 5-4.
• The Trojans went on to add a few more insurance runs with a solo home run by Mason in the fifth and a McLean sacrifice fly in the sixth.
• Matt Stokes and Aaron Hedgepeth collected some RBI in the seventh with a couple of bases-loaded walks to move Mount Olive ahead 9-4.
• King tried to make a comeback in the final frame as a solo home run drew the deficit to 9-5 and the Tornado did get a baserunner on following the long ball, but UMO was able to strike out the side and the game ended.

KEY STATS GAME 1

• Caleb Bishop (1-2) took the loss in game one going six complete innings, surrendering four runs, three earned, off six hits and struck out six.
• JT Stone led the Trojans going 2-for-5 from the plate with three RBI.

KEY STATS GAME 2

• Reed Parris (6-1) got the win in game two going seven complete, allowing five runs off nine hits and struck out 10. 
• Joe Mason led the team with an RBI while going 3-for-4 on the afternoon.

Up Next

Mount Olive will round out the series tomorrow in Bristol at 12 p.m.