Trojans take two

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 24, 2008 3:45 PM

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MOC Sports Information

MOUNT OLIVE -- No. 1-ranked Mount Olive College didn't take long to provide highlight-reel moments during its non-conference, baseball doubleheader against in-state rival Chowan University on Wednesday afternoon.

Playing in front of ESPN cameras, Jesse Lancaster ripped a first-inning home run as the Trojans took game one 5-0 at Scarborough Field. Pitchers Weston Curles, Paul Novicki and Patrick Ball combined for a two-hitter as Mount Olive prevailed 7-0 in the nightcap.

The TV show "NCAA On Campus" spent the entire day working on a feature about the Mount Olive College baseball team. The episode will air May 21 at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN Classic and will be rebroadcast on ESPNU.

Lancaster's homer, his seventh of the season, staked the Trojans (46-5 overall) to a 1-0 lead. Alex Vertcnik and Jason Sherrer provided RBI at-bats in the second inning to make it 3-0.

Tyler Smith added a fourth-inning RBI single, while senior shortstop David Cooper delivered a sixth-inning RBI hit. Cooper finished with three of Mount Olive's 12 hits in the outing.

Lancaster, Vertcnik, Smith and Rich Racobaldo contributed two hits apiece. Lancaster claimed the mound win and Kyle Jones threw a scoreless seventh. Vertcnik and Sherrer turned a game-ending double play at the plate to preserve the shutout.

Cooper's third-inning bunt single broke up Mark Peterson's no-hit bid and started a two-run rally. Lancaster plated Cooper and scored on Vertcnik's single down the right-field line.

Cooper's two-run double spearheaded a four-run, fourth-inning uprising. Anthony Williams added an RBI infield single and the Trojans' fourth run occurred on a bases-loaded wild pitch.

Curles went four innings against Chowan to extend his scoreless streak to 12 consecutive innings. Curles walked a batter in the first and allowed a third inning single. Novicki permitted a single in two scoreless innings and Ball retired the side in order in the seventh.

Mount Olive entertains Virginia State University at 2 p.m. today. The contest is a rematch of last year's opening-round, NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional game.