No. 11 Trojans earn doubleheader sweep at SWU

CENTRAL, S.C. – The University of Mount Olive baseball program registered a doubleheader sweep on April 15 at Southern Wesleyan in Conference Carolinas play, posting a 10-6 victory in game one before recording a 2-1 win in game two.

With the sweep, the Trojans improved to 27-10 overall with a 14-8 record in conference action. Mount Olive has won nine straight against SWU dating back to 2021 and sits in a tight race for second place in the league standings with two weeks left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Warriors fell to 13-28 this year with a 7-16 mark in league play.

In game one, junior Dylan Jeffries started the contest with a leadoff solo homer to left field on just the second pitch of the game, his team-leading ninth of the season, to give UMO a 1-0 advantage in the first inning. In the second frame, the Trojans brought five runs across the plate on four hits while capitalizing on a pair of errors. After two errors placed runners on the corners, redshirt sophomore Case Kermode produced an RBI single to left field before Jeffries laced a two-run double down the left-field line to stretch the lead to 4-0. The next at-bat, junior Vito Patierno delivered an RBI single to left field before sophomore Cooper George recorded a sacrifice fly to center field, 6-0. The Warriors cut into the deficit in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs and registered a two-run homer in the third to trail 6-4.

In the top of the fifth, Kermode tallied another RBI on a sacrifice fly before Southern Wesleyan answered in the bottom half with an RBI groundout, 7-5. Senior J.T. Stone earned an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth and George followed up in the seventh with a two-run double through the left side to extend the lead to 10-5. The Warriors managed to bring across one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Mount Olive would ultimately seal the win, 10-6.

Jeffries finished the game two for five with a homer, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk, while Patierno also went two for five with one RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases.

Junior Ethan Imbimbo earned the win (1-0) after yielding one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk in three innings of relief. Freshman Carson Gipson secured the save (1) after pitching the final three innings with one run surrendered on three hits with four strikeouts.

In game two, senior starter Erik Johnson improved to 5-1 on the mound after scattering five hits with one earned run and five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Junior Hayden Myrick recorded the save (3) after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with no hits surrendered.

In the top of the first, Jeffries led off with a single to left field before advancing to third following a failed pick-off attempt. With two outs, graduate student Landon Choboy produced an RBI single through the left side to take a 1-0 lead. After a pair of scoreless innings, senior Joshua Jones registered an RBI single up the middle in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 2-0. In the bottom of the sixth, SWU closed the gap with an RBI single through the right side before UMO escaped the inning with two runners stranded, 2-1.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics