MOC baseball beats Bryant

Published in Sports on March 16, 2006 2:36 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Graham Wooten's two-run triple highlighted a four-run third inning and Josh Harrison helped thwart a late rally with an eighth-inning two-run homer to lead Mount Olive to an 8-4 victory over Bryant in non-conference baseball Wednesday at Scarborough Field. The win gives the Trojans a sweep in the two-game series.

Mount Olive (17-8) broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third when Josh Carter extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an RBI single. After Stephen Nordan singled, Wooten lined a triple to the center field fence and scored on Josh Harrison's single to give Mount Olive a 5-1 lead.

Carter, who scored the Trojans' first run in the bottom of the first on a two-out single by Nordan, singled home another run in the fourth to extend the Trojans' lead to 6-1.

Bryant (2-11) opened the scoring in the top of the first as the Bulldogs' first two batters reached on a walk and an error and Paul Novakowski drove in a run with a one-out single. But Mount Olive got out of the inning on a 6-4-3 double play.

Trojan starter Ryan Barham (2-0) held Bryant to one hit until the top of the fifth, when the Bulldogs scored a run on Pat McKenna's two-out RBI single. Barham pitched five innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked four.

Bryant then struck for two runs in the sixth, scoring both runs on consecutive hit batsmen with the bases loaded to pull within 6-4.

After Bryant starter Luke Cowan (0-3) retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs sent the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh after Mike Rocco singled with one out. But Trojan shortstop David Cooper robbed Chris Brown of a base hit by fielding a high chopper behind the bag and second baseman Anthony Williams made the turn for the inning-ending double play.

Cowan retired the side in order again in the bottom of the seventh, but was lifted in the eighth after giving up a leadoff single to Wooten. One out later, Harrison lined his fourth home run of the season over the right field fence to give Mount Olive a four-run margin.

Patrick Ball pitched two scoreless innings for the Trojans and Donald Huff pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal the Trojans' fourth consecutive win. Huff has not allowed a run this season in 10 appearances and 18 innings pitched.

Mount Olive returns to action Friday as the Trojans travel to Due West, S.C., to begin a three-game Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference series against conference-leader Erskine. The two teams play a single game Friday at 2:30, then conclude the series with a doubleheader Saturday at noon.

MOC Sports Information