MOC splits with Anderson Friday

By David Williams
Published in Sports on April 11, 2004 2:00 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College's baseball team needed to sweep visiting Anderson College to put pressure on Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference leader Pfeiffer going into the final week of the regular season.

But in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader with the Trojans, Anderson threw a wrench in Mount Olive's plans -- and may have spoiled the homestanding Trojans' regional tournament hopes.

Anderson limited Mount Olive to just five hits and ruined Ricky Duke's perfect record with a 7-3 win in the opening game of the twinbill. In the second game, Mount Olive's Weston Curles struck out six and threw a complete game while Stevie Parrish climbed to within sight of the school's single-season home run record in an 8-1 win.

Mount Olive got off to a solid start in the opening game after Craig Hurba and Parrish, the Trojans' top two home run hitters, parked back-to-back homers for a 3-0 lead. Hurba launched a shot over left center field -- his 14th of the year -- with Allen Thomas aboard for a 2-0 lead. Parrish followed that with his team-high 18th homer of the season, a frozen rope that cleared the left-field fence for a 3-0 lead.

But Anderson made sure that the lead would not stand.

After picking up a run in the fourth inning on an RBI hit by F.A. Vildosola, the Trojans knocked Mount Olive starter Duke out of the box in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, the Trojans could not convert a double-play on a grounder by Jared Taylor, scoring Kyle Lewis.

Jonathan Pitts scored on a single by Jason Ratliff to tie the game, then Jason Jones ripped a double down the left-field line to score two more and give Anderson the lead.

Jason Sharp came on to pitch, but Donavon Schmidt met him with a solo home run to right field.

Anderson pitcher Nat McCarty threw eight-plus innings of four-hit baseball, while Adam Dymond came on to finish the ninth for the save. Duke incurred his first loss of the year after nine wins.

"We needed to get three this weekend, and there's no way we can do that now," said Mount Olive coach Carl Lancaster. "We have to win Saturday and get two next weekend (against Georgia College and State) to have a chance (at regionals)."

Anderson opened the second game with a single run after Curles issued a two-out walk to Ratliff, who stole second and scored on a hit by Schmidt.

Mount Olive responded in the third inning when Thomas walked his way on, stole second and traded places with Parrish, who singled to right field and took second on the throw home. Parrish then came around to score as Matt Rickard drilled a single to right field for a 2-1 Mount Olive lead.

Thomas accounted for Mount Olive's next run, driving a single to right field to plate Matt Johnson in the third inning for a 3-1 lead.

As Curles continued to keep Anderson shut down offensively, The Trojans used five-run explosion to pad their lead in the sixth. Stephen Nordan's RBI hit scored a run and Hurba's sacrifice fly plated another before Parrish belted another home run, a towering shot to right field that scored three more runs and an 8-1 lead.

That home run pushed Parrish to within one of tying Josh Stewart for the school record for home runs in a season. Parrish also upped his season RBI total to 66.

Curles, a sophomore, struck out six and walked just one while allowing three hits.

Game One

Anderson 000 100 600 -- 7 10 1

Mount Olive 003 000 000 -- 3 5 1

Leading hitters -- Anderson -- Ratliff 2-4, RBI; Schmidt HR, 2 RBI; Vildosola 3-4, RBI; Kyle Lewis 2-4. Mount Olive -- Hurba HR, 2 RBI; Parrish HR, RBI.

IP H R ER BB SO

Anderson

McCarty (W) 81Ú3 4 3 3 4 2

Dymond (S) 2Ú3 1 0 0 0 0 1

Mount Olive

Duke (L) 62Ú3 7 6 6 3 2

Sharp 1Ú3 2 1 1 0 0

Montgomery 2 1 0 0 0 3

Game Two

Game One

Anderson 100 000 0 -- 1 3 2

Mount Olive 002 150 0 -- 8 8 1

Leading hitters -- Anderson -- Schmidt hit, RBI; Taylor hit; Vildosola hit. Mount Olive -- 2-3, RBI; Nordan hit, RBI; Parrish 2-4, HR, 4 RBI; Rickard hit, RBI; Pullen hit, Johnson hit.

IP H R ER BB SO

Anderson

Robson 52Ú3 7 5 4 5 4

Griffith 1Ú3 1 1 0 0 1

Mount Olive

Curles 7 3 1 1 1 6