MOUNT OLIVE — The Mount Olive Trojans baseball used timely hitting and a dominant bullpen performance to pull away for a 12-3 victory over Virginia State Trojans baseball Tuesday afternoon in Mount Olive.
Virginia State struck first in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead. The visitors extended their advantage to 3-0 in the fifth inning on a wild pitch, briefly putting pressure on a Mount Olive pitching staff that has battled inconsistency this season.
The Trojans quickly answered in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tanner Ferguson and Lane McLean reached base before Ryder Hancock delivered a single. Josh Mason then broke through with a two-RBI double down the left field line. Following a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Rowan Watt, Mount Olive surged ahead 4-3.
The offensive production continued a strong trend for Mount Olive, which entered the game ranked first in Conference Carolinas and among the top 10 nationally in doubles per game at 2.56.
Mount Olive broke the game open in the sixth inning, plating five runs on just two hits while capitalizing on walks, hit batters, and defensive miscues. McLean played a key role, forcing in a run and later scoring. Mason added a two-RBI single, Watt contributed an RBI double, and Gales drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 9-3.
The Trojans continued to add insurance runs late, scoring once in the seventh inning on a balk and twice more in the eighth. The eighth inning featured an RBI double from Gales and a sacrifice fly by Kayden Crawford.
On the mound, John Nelson McLamb (3-6) delivered a steady performance, working six innings while striking out five batters. The right-hander, who entered the game among conference leaders in strikeouts per nine innings (9.59), helped limit further damage after Virginia State’s early scoring.
The bullpen took over from there, with Kole Hopkins dominating across two innings, striking out four batters and allowing no hits to secure the victory.
Mount Olive will look to carry the momentum into the weekend when the Trojans return to Conference Carolinas play against Barton Bulldogs baseball on Friday at 3 p.m.
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