Conference Carolinas: UMO baseball takes tourney title, heads to NCAA tournament

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 28, 2014 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

BURLINGTON -- Carl Lancaster wouldn't have taken the gamble if the situation had been different.

His risk paid off.

No. 12-ranked University of Mount Olive executed a ninth-inning double steal that eventually led to the game-winning run during a come-from-behind, 10-9 victory over King (Tenn.) in the Conference Carolinas tournament championship game Sunday afternoon.

The Trojans (40-11 overall) clinched the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 2012 and seventh time overall since 2006.

"All those people who paid their money needed to get a good game," chuckled Lancaster, who earned career win No. 970. "It was a grind."

Indeed.

Mount Olive couldn't solve King senior Cory Rhodes through six innings. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander held the Trojans to three runs and seven hits.

That all changed in the seventh when the Tornado went to their bullpen. Brandon Houser lasted one-third of inning as the Trojans put together a five-run rally that led to an 8-6 advantage.

All-tournament picks Justin Manning and Cody Britt; Bretton Gouthro and DeAndre Allen each put an RBI in the scorebook. A Tornado fielding error produced an additional run.

"They had a pitcher on the mound who is one of the better pitchers in the league and really just gave us fits," Lancaster said of Rhodes. "We finally got his pitch count up and when he went out, we came alive a little bit."

Garrett Cook answered for King with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

The Trojans knotted the game at 9-9 in the eighth inning on Bradon Reitano's RBI groundout that scored tournament MVP Jay Gonzalez. Zach Bernard relieved UMO lefty Josh Frederick in the eighth and kept the Tornado off the board.

Justin Manning led off the UMO ninth with a single, Gouthro walked and Manning was thrown out at third on a fielder's choice bunt by Britt. Lancaster called upon Dylan Harvey to pinch run for Gouthro.

Harvey and Britt executed a double steal. Allen reached safely on throwing error and Harvey trotted home to make it 10-9 in favor of UMO.

"The pitcher had a really good arm, but we noticed he wasn't an active thrower so we had to take a shot being down at the bottom of the order," Lancaster said. "Our speed won the game. We ran the bases and took some chances even if it hadn't been the last game (of the tournament)."

Bernard recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his second pitching decision of the season.

Reitano received all-tournament accolades along with Derek Justice, who threw a complete game earlier in the tournament.

"These were big, strong boys we were playing (and) they've had a good team all year ... much better than what their record indicates," Lancaster said. "We were fortunate, very fortunate. The guys came together and this has turned out to be one of my most pleasurable conference championships, to be honest with you."