Trojans open season with sweep of Lenoir-Rhyne
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on February 9, 2010 1:46 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Another season is off and running.
Mount Olive College opened its 2010 campaign with two victories over Lenoir-Rhyne at Scarborough Field on Monday afternoon.
The Trojans claimed the first game of the doubleheader 13-1 and followed with an 8-1 victory in the second game. The 2-0 start made Mount Olive head coach Carl Lancaster especially excited due to several unknowns that were surrounding the club in the preseason.
"I was pleased with how solid we were all the way around," said Lancaster. "We got some timely hits, fielded the ball pretty well and our pitching was strong."
The home team got off on the right foot at the plate.
Bobby Leeper led off the opening game with a single and was followed by a base hit from Jeremy Nowalk. Mike Knox delivered an RBI double and three additional Trojans drew consecutive walks that plated two runs.
Mount Olive added a run in the third inning and three more in the fourth, which was more than enough for starter Sean Lydon. The lanky right-hander tossed five innings of shutout baseball to get the win.
The Trojans tallied 17 hits in the victory, led by Nowak's 4-for-6 effort. Leeper added three hits and scored four runs.
"We had some new guys come through for us today," said Lancaster. "Leeper had a couple big hits and Knox delivered a couple shots."
In the second game of the twinbill, North Lenoir alum Carter Capps took the mound and produced his first-ever collegiate victory. Capps threw four innings, allowed just three hits and zero runs as the Trojans broke open the seven-inning affair.
Leading 1-0, the Trojans sent 10 men to the plate in the second inning as they knocked out the Lenoir-Rhyne starter after retiring just four batters. Knox delivered the big blow of the Trojans' seven-run outburst with a grand slam that easily cleared the left field fence.
Daniel Coffey added a two-run blast and the game got out of hand quickly.
"This was a good way to start the year with a pair of wins," said Lancaster. "We know that the next series is going to be tough with Coker coming to town, so I think this gets us going in the right direction."
The Cobras visit Scarborough Field on Saturday for the Conference Carolinas doubleheader. The teams will play a single game Sunday.