Nowak shuts down Wingate in 7th

By From staff reports
Published in Sports on February 24, 2010 1:46 PM

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MOC Sports Information

WINGATE -- Jeremy Nowak struck out the side with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning, and No. 9-ranked Mount Olive swept Wingate in a non-conference baseball doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.

In the opener, Charles B. Aycock alum Jackson Massey tossed his first collegiate complete game in a 7-3 win. Nowak recorded back-to-back strikeouts on just six pitches and helped preserve the Trojans' 10-6 victory in the nightcap.

MOC is now 11-0 overall.

Massey (1-0) scattered six hits, logged five strikeouts and walked two. A senior, Massey became a full-time pitcher this season after spending three years in the outfield.

In game one, Mount Olive jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead with three runs in the first and four runs in the third. Dan Hayduk hit a two-run homer in the first inning, his second home run of the season. Mike Knox, Hayduk and Vinson hit consecutive RBI singles in the third.

Tyler Smith trotted home on a bases-loaded walk to cap the scoring.

The Trojans trailed 4-3 after 21/2 innings in game two.

Nowak's leadoff home run, his third of the season, tied the game. After Dan Hayduk singled and Airlon Vinson was hit by a pitch, Daniel Coffey doubled down the left field line to drive home both runners and give the Trojans a 6-4 lead.

Doubles by Ryan Faison and Jesse Lancaster plated a run in the sixth, and Topher Ellis' two-run single highlighted a three-run seventh inning to extend Mount Olive's lead to 10-5.

Trojan relief pitcher David Combs (1-0) took over with two outs in the bottom of the second after Wingate scored four runs. Combs held the Bulldogs to a single run through 41/3 innings, but gave up a lead-off home run to Casey Allison in the bottom of the seventh.

Combs walked the next batter, and Craig Beasley took over on the mound in his first appearance after suffering a pre-season injury. Logan Issacs singled off Beasley and Nowak got the bullpen call from right field.

Wingate (5-3) loaded the bases as Jacob Karr greeted Nowak with a single through the left side. But Nowak struck out the next two batters swinging and got a called strike three on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.

It was his first save in a Trojan uniform.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday for a non-conference doubleheader against Shippensburg (Pa.) University. First pitch is noon at Scarborough Field.

The teams will play single game Sunday.