Mount Olive, NC---The #18th ranked Mount Olive College Trojans took two out of three games from the sixth ranked Flying Fleet this weekend to win the Conference Carolinas series. Mount Olive won game one 10-4 and game three 3-0, while Erskine won game two 6-3.

On Friday night, Erskine took the lead in the top of the first on a three run home run from Matt Schneider (Greenville, SC, Greenville High School), but the Trojans would answer back in the bottom half of the inning with six runs on three hits to go up 6-3 and they would not look back.

The Fleet were led at the plate by Schneider who was 2-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while Chas Anthony (Pickens, SC, Pickens High School) was 1-4 with a double. John Bolding (Pickens, SC, Pickens High School) drove in the other Erskine run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. William Buzhardt (Columbia, SC, Ben Lippen High School) took the loss allowing five runs (four earned) in one-third of an inning of work.

The Fleet came out swinging on Saturday in game one and rode outstanding pitching performances by Mike Moore (Lexington, SC, Gilbert High School) and Atlee Pearson (Duncan, SC, Byrnes HS) to the 6-3 victory and even the series at one game apiece. Erskine took the lead in the second on a two run home run by Bolding, then added three more in the third keyed by a double from Greg Huff (McDonough, GA, Henry County High School) and RBI single from Keith Hill (Abbeville, SC, Abbeville High School). Erskine would push the lead to 6-0 in the seventh when Matt Youngblood (Travelers Rest, SC, Blue Ridge CC) scored on a RBI single from Bryan Fogle (Lexington, SC, Lexington High School). The Trojans would take advantage of two Erskine errors in the bottom of the seventh to score two runs and cut into the Fleet lead. They would add another run in the eighth to make it a three run game, but that would be as close as they would get as Pearson pitched a scoreless ninth.

Bolding led the Fleet with his home run and two RBIs, while Cody McElhaney (Beech Island, SC, Midland Valley HS), Hill and Fogle each had a hit and run batted in. Moore picked up the win allowing two unearned runs in 6.1 innings of work to pick up his third win of the season, while Pearson picked up his fourth save pitching the final 2.1 innings and allowing one run.

The final game of the series turned out to be a pitchers duel, with the game remaining scoreless into the bottom of the fourth, when the Trojans took advantage of an error in the outfield to take a 1-0 lead. Mount Olive would again take advantage of an Erskine error in the fifth to push the lead to 2-0 and then add another insurance run in the sixth. The Fleet would not be able to push a run across as several balls hit into the outfield were run down by the Trojan outfielders.

Hill was the only Erskine player with two hits. Huff added a double, while Anthony and McElhaney each had a single. Buzhardt was the tough luck loser, allowing two unearned runs in 4.2 innings of work.

Game One Box

Game Two Box

Game Three Box