Mount Olive scores six straight to edge Baseball in ninth

Mount Olive, N.C. —- The Catawba College baseball team held a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but could not hold off the Mount Olive rally, as the Trojans walked off in the ninth to win 6-5. The Trojans improve to 18-7 overall on the season, while the Catawba Indians drop to 18-10 overall.

Harris Jackson drove in three runs for Catawba. Dylan Driver and Drew Robertson turned in two-hit performances. Michael Gracer and Kenny Dollenger provided shutout appearances to start the game, combining for non runs on four hits in 4.1 innings. 

Catawba started hot offensively, loading the bases with just one out in the inning. Robertson put Catawba on the board with an RBI-groundout to score Driver. Jackson cashed in two more on a two-out RBI single to left center as Catawba opened up a 3-0 lead before the Trojans took an at-bat.

The Catawba Indians struck again in the third, as Driver advanced to third with one out in the inning, before Cameron Mills drove him home on a single to right field. Mills advanced to third on a single by Robertson and scored via a sacrifice fly from Jackson, as Catawba led 5-0 after three innings.

The Trojans got on the board in the seventh, when Landon Choboy singled through the right side to cut the deficit to 5-1 after seven. Davis Halstead drove in a run on an RBI single to center before Dylan Jeffries' home run cut the deficit to a single run through eight innings.

UMO got its first two runners on in the ninth, but Jackson stepped on third to keep runners on first and second with one out. Marshall Raper forced a fly out for out number two, but the Trojans recorded back-to-back singles to tie and walk it off. Raper takes the loss, moving to 0-2 on the season.

Catawba returns to Newman Park tomorrow, hosting Barton for a 4 p.m. first pitch.