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No. 1 Mount Olive Sweeps Anderson

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - Erik Lovett drove in six runs with two home runs to lead nationally top-ranked Mount Olive to a 14-7 victory over Anderson University in game one of a Conference Carolinas baseball doubleheader Saturday at Scarborough Field. The home-standing Trojans completed the sweep and extended their winning streak to 16 games with an 8-4 victory in the nightcap as David Cooper's RBI single ignited a five-run fourth inning. Saturday's doubleheader marked the Trojans' first games since being ranked No. 1 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 30 and Ping Baseball Division II Top 30. Mount Olive (18-1 overall, 5-0 Conference Carolinas) faced a four-run deficit in the opener before Lovett's three-run homer in the bottom of the third pulled the Trojans within 4-3. Anderson added a run in the top of the fourth as Don Ballard led off with a double and pinch-runner Nick Easterlin eventually scored. Mount Olive took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, using a pair of RBI ground outs and Jason Sherrer's two-run single to give the Trojans a 7-5 lead. Anderson pulled within a run in the top of the fifth on Ed Johnson's RBI single, but back-to-back RBI doubles by Alex Vertcnik and Lovett highlighted a three-run bottom of the fifth to extend Mount Olive's lead to 10-6. After the two teams each exchanged a run, Mount Olive added three more in the bottom of the eighth. Anthony Williams and Jesse Lancaster hit triples one out apart and Lovett hit a two-out, two-run homer to cap the scoring. Lovett, who hit a school record 21 home runs last year, has four this season. Saturday marked Lovett's second two-home run game this year. Anderson (5-16, 1-4) used the long ball in the top of the third to jump out to a 4-0 lead. No. 9 batter Patrick West and leadoff batter B.J. Smith led off the inning with back-to-back home runs and Clint Neville added a two-run shot. Lovett and Josh Harrison paced Mount Olive's 18-hit attack with three hits apiece, while Blair Carson had a three-hit game for Anderson. Mount Olive reliever Paul Novicki (3-0) entered the game in the top of the fourth with runners on first and third and nobody out and retired all three batters he faced, holding Anderson to a run on an RBI fielder's choice. Novicki allowed two runs in five innings pitched. Kyle Jones pitched the ninth. Anderson struck first again in the second game as Trent Still's two-run single in the top of the first gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead. Mount Olive tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the first as Cooper led off with a triple and scored on a ground out. Lancaster scored the tying run on Harrison's single. Sherrer's third-inning RBI double put Mount Olive ahead to stay and the Trojans took advantage of Anderson miscues in the fourth inning to break the game open. Cooper singled in the first run and advanced to third on a stolen base and an error. Lancaster struck out for what would have been the third out but went all the way to second on a wild pitch as Cooper came home. Lancaster scored on a single by Vertcnik, who came home on Lovett's double. Lovett scored when Sherrer reached on an error to give Mount Olive an 8-2 lead. Walt Quattlebaum hit a two-run homer for Anderson in the top of the sixth to complete the scoring. Cooper had two hits for Mount Olive, while Still collected two hits for Anderson. Michael Williams (4-0) allowed four runs on five hits through five innings. Todd Jeffreys entered in relief with nobody out in the sixth after Quattlebaum's home run and pitched two scoreless innings. Jeffrey's struck out the final four batters he faced. The two teams complete their series with a single game Sunday at Scarborough Field. First pitch is 1 p.m.

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