Lovett leads Mount Olive to sweep

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 25, 2007 2:15 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Erik Lovett hit two home runs in game one and led off the bottom of the 11th inning of game two with a walk-off home run as nationally 27th-ranked Mount Olive swept Shippensburg (Pa.) 7-6 and 5-4 in a non-conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Scarborough Field. Jackson Massey scored on a passed ball with one out to cap a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth in game one. The wins extend the Trojans' winning streak to six.

Mount Olive (11-5) trailed by as many as four runs in game one as home runs by Scott Goss, Kasey Kuhns and Tyler Redick staked Shippensburg (3-6) to a 6-2 lead after six innings. Goss' two-run homer capped a three-run first inning, while Kuhns and Redick added solo shots in the second and third off of Trojan starter Tom Layne, who entered the game with a 0.86 earned run average and wins over two nationally-ranked teams.

The Trojans scored two in the second as Lovett led off the inning with his sixth home run of the season and Graham Wooten singled home a run. Lovett added a two-run shot over the centerfield fence with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Josh Carter followed with a double and Josh Harrison hit a pinch-hit RBI single to pull Mount Olive within 6-5.

Reliever Todd Jeffreys (2-0) took over to start the seventh and held Shippensburg scoreless on two singles. Jeffreys received some defensive help when catcher Dustin Richardson threw out a runner attempting to steal third in the top of the eighth. Richardson had just moved to behind the plate from left field to start the inning.

Carter drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth off of reliever Kyle Warner (0-1) and pinch-runner Mike Kicia stole second. Harrison, who stayed in the game in left field, singled to tie the game and went to second on the throw. Massey, who pinch-ran for Harrison, went to third on a passed ball and scored the winning run on another passed ball.

Mount Olive had to rally from another four-run deficit in game two as Shippensburg scored two runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead. Sean Killian hit a two-run single in the top of the first and Kyle Rhodes' RBI double was the key hit in the second inning.

Trojan reliever Anthony Hernandez took over for starter Weston Curles to start the third inning, as Hernandez and Patrick Ball (1-0) would combine to pitch nine scoreless innings.

The Trojans got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as Scott Houin singled, stole second and scored on Lovett's RBI single. Three consecutive singles led to a run in the fifth and Lovett's two-run single in the sixth tied the game 4-4.

Hernandez allowed three hits and struck out four in four innings pitched before giving way to Ball after issuing a leadoff walk in the seventh. Ball used a 6-4-3 double play to help get out of the inning and went on to retire 11 of the first 12 batters he faced. Ball, who had pitched a total of six innings in seven relief appearances this season, pitched the final five innings for the Trojans.

After Lovett's game-tying base hit, Shippensburg starter Ross Buckwalter retired six of the next seven batters he faced before giving way in the bottom of the ninth to reliever Jason Kelly (0-1), who held Mount Olive hitless in the ninth and 10th innings.

Shippensburg threatened in the top of the 11th as Scott Stern drew a two-out walk and Justin Garber followed with a single. But Ball got out of the inning on an infield pop-up. Ball struck out three and allowed two hits.

In the bottom of the 11th Lovett led off and worked the count to 3-1 before ending the game with his third home run of the doubleheader and sixth round-tripper in five games this week.

The two teams conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader today. Game time is 1 p.m. at Scarborough Field.

Game 1

Ship. 311 010 000 -- 6 10 1

MOC 020 000 302 -- 7 11 1

One out, none on when game ended

Pitchers: Shippensburg - Matt Wright; Andrew Burke (7); Kyle Warner (7); Brian Boylan (9). Mount Olive - Tom Layne; Todd Jeffreys (7).

Win-Jeffreys (2-0) Loss-Warner (0-1)

Hitters-Shippensburg: Scott Goss (2-5, home run 2 rbi); Kasey Kuhns (2-4, home run); Tyler Redick (2-5, home run). Mount Olive: Erik Lovett (2-4, 2 home runs, 3 RBI); Josh Harrison (2-2, 2 RBI).

HR Ship - Scott Goss, Kasey Kuhns, Tyler Redick

HR MOC - Erik Lovett 2 (7).

Game 2

Ship. 220 000 000 00 -- 4 9 1

MOC 000 112 000 01 -- 5 9 1

None out, none on when game ended

Pitchers: Shippensburg - Ross Buckwalter; Jason Kelly(9). Mount Olive - Weston Curles; Anthony Hernandez(3); Patrick Ball(7).

Win-Ball(1-0) Loss-Kelly(0-1)

Hitters-Shippensburg: Tyler Redick (2-3, double, RBI); Justin Garber (2-5). Mount Olive: Erik Lovett (3-5, home run, 4 RBI); Scott Houin (2-5, double, 2 runs); Anthony Williams (2-3).

HR MOC - Erik Lovett (8).

-- MOC sports information