Trojans face elimination

By From staff reports
Published in Sports on May 14, 2010 1:46 PM

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FLORENCE, S.C. -- All or nothing.

Mount Olive College faces that scenario after dropping a 4-3 decision to Georgia College & State University on day one of the 2010 Division II Southeast Regional on Thursday afternoon.

The fourth-seeded Trojans were denied the chance to present head coach Carl Lancaster career win No. 800. MOC opposes sixth-seeded Erskine at 3 p.m. today.

Mike Knox crushed his team-leading 23rd home run, a fourth-inning blast, to give No. 4-ranked Mount Olive a 2-0 advantage. It was the Trojans' 89th round-tripper of the season.

GCSU answered in the sixth.

Kyle Allen singled up the middle and Trojan second baseman Jesse Lancaster stopped the ball from bouncing into the outfield. Lancaster attempted to throw Allen out at first base, but the ball sailed into the dugout.

MOC starting pitcher Jackson Massey (7-2) induced a groundout, but gave up an RBI single to Matt Pitts to pull GCSU within 2-1. Shawn Ward executed a perfect hit-and-run, doubling down the left-field line to score Pitts and knot the contest at 2-2.

Ward advanced on a wild pitch and attempted to score on Richard Pirkle's fielder's choice grounder, but was thrown out at home. After a walk, Jackson escaped further damage by coaxing Chandler Snell into an inning-ending flyout to left field.

The Trojans responded in their next at-bat.

The Bobcats (36-16) turned a double play early in the seventh, but Joseph Westbrook ignited a short rally with a double down the left-field line. Topher Ellis drove in Westbrook with a single to make it 3-2.

Jackson (7-2) couldn't wiggle out of a seventh-inning jam. GCSU loaded the bases and Curtis Hudson took over from the bullpen. The Bobcats tied the game at 3-3 on Sean Harrell's fielder's choice.

Pitts plated the game-winning run.

GCSU hurler Martin Dewald (10-2) held the Trojans scoreles in the final two innings. He threw 123 pitches in a complete-game performance and permitted three earned runs on seven hits.

MOC (40-10 overall) tumbled into the consolation bracket in the double-elimination event. The Trojans had their seven-game win streak snapped in postseason play since their College World Series championship run in 2008.