Indians too much for Mount Olive in exhibition

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 6, 2005 1:53 PM

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KINSTON -- Mount Olive College hung tough against a major-league pitcher for the second straight year, but also lost for the second straight year 6-0 to the Kinston Indians in the annual exhibition game between the teams Tuesday night at historic Grainger Stadium.

Billy Traber, who spent all of 2003 with Cleveland before missing all of 2004 with an elbow injury, earned the win with five shutout innings. Last year, Mount Olive had to face Jeroime Robertson, a former 15-game winner for the Houston Astros.

Traber bent but never broke in the early going, allowing seven hits in the first three innings but stranding all seven runners, five in scoring position. The Trojans left the bases loaded in the first and left men on second and third in the third. Traber then worked perfect innings in the fourth and fifth to get the victory. He struck out four and did not walk a man in his five innings.

The Indians struggled for offense in the first three innings against starter Blake Montgomery, but struck for three runs in the fourth and fifth once the Trojans had to dip into their bullpen. A two-base wild pitch from Anthony Ciaramello plated Kinston's first run of the game with two away in the fourth, and Brandon Pinckney followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Shaun Larkin then drew a bases-loaded walk to stretch the lead to three runs. Ryan Mulhern belted a two-run homer off Philip Cunningham to make it 5-0 in the fifth, and Brad Snyder capped the scoring with an RBI single later in the inning.

Mulhern finished the night 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Pinckney and Snyder also had two hits each. Tom Mastny, Matt Davis, Juan Lara and Edward Mujica each worked an inning of relief to complete the shutout.

The Indians return to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. with their final exhibition game against Barton College. Opening Day is Friday at 7 p.m. against the Winston-Salem Warthogs.

All fans attending Friday's game will receive a free 2005 schedule magnet courtesy of Bojangles' and WNCT, and Bojangles' will also present a post-game fireworks show.