Trojans secure regional win over NGU
TIGERVILLE, S.C. – Senior pitcher Dawson Gause produced six strikeouts in five innings of relief as the No. 13 ranked UMO Trojans secured a 13-7 victory over No. 1 North Greenville on May 19 in the Southeast Regional at Ashmore Park.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive baseball program claimed their sixth straight win to improve to 38-15 overall. The Trojans have defeated the Crusaders in three of four meetings this season and secured their first win over NGU on its home field since 2018. Meanwhile, North Greenville fell to 45-9 this season and suffered its first loss at home since May 28, 2022 after previously winning 28 straight games at Ashmore Park.
Gause made just his third appearance out of the bullpen and yielded one run on four hits with six strikeouts. He retired the side in order twice while also producing a pair of double plays. Gause improved to 5-2 this season and is second on the team with 59 strikeouts over 61 1/3 innings on the mound.
Mount Olive batted around in the bottom of the first after tallying five runs on four hits. Junior Dylan Jeffries drew a leadoff walk before senior Jack Casbarro blasted a two-run homer to left field, his seventh of the year, to give UMO a 2-0 edge. The next at-bat, graduate student Landon Choboy launched a solo homer to left center, his ninth of the season, to extend the lead to 3-0. A single to right-center from senior J.T. Stone and a pair of walks loaded the bases. With two outs, junior Mike Kenney collected an RBI with a bases-loaded walk before Jeffries registered an RBI on a hit down the first-base line to put the Trojans ahead 5-0.
In the top of the second, North Greenville answered back with a leadoff solo homer to center before the Trojans stranded a pair of runners in the bottom half. The Crusaders tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the third following a pair of homers, including a three-run home run. In the top of the fourth, NGU grabbed the lead on a sacrifice fly to take its first advantage of the game, 6-5. Mount Olive countered in the bottom of the fourth with four runs on three hits to regain the lead at 9-6. Following a pair of walks, junior Alden Cottle recorded an RBI single through the left side to knot the contest at 6-6. The next at-bat, senior Joshua Jones ripped an RBI single to left before Kenney belted a two-run double in the gap in right to stretch the advantage to 9-6.
The Trojans continued to add to the lead in bottom of the fifth after a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk quickly loaded the bases with no outs. During the following at-bat, junior Vito Patierno scored on a wild pitch before Stone drew a walk to reload the bases. George collected an RBI with a walk before Cottle produced an RBI single through the right side to put UMO ahead 12-6. With two outs, Kenney tallied his fourth RBI of the contest after a sacrifice fly to right center for a 13-6 Trojan advantage. North Greenville cut into the deficit one more time in the seventh on a solo homer to trail by a 13-7 margin. The Trojans turned a double play in the eighth before retiring the side in order in the ninth to seal the win.
Casbarro finished two for five with a two-run homer and two runs scored while Cottle went two for four with two RBI, one run scored and a walk. Jeffries registered a pair of hits, one RBI, one run scored and one walk, while Kenney totaled four RBI.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
