Box Score Mount Olive, NC – Erskine College held off a late rally by Mount Olive to win 2-1 in the opening game of the Conference Carolinas series.

The game would be scoreless through the first two innings, with neither team recording a hit.  With one out in the top of the third, Tanner Lollis (Williamston, SC, Palmetto HS) would single up the middle and then steal second.  Andrew Kozak (Sidney, NY, Hudson Valley CC) would then single past a diving third baseman to score Lollis and give Erskine (19-5, 7-0) the lead.  The game would remain 1-0 until the top of the seventh when Lollis would get a two out single up the middle and steal second again.  Kozak would then step to the plate and hit a single in between first and second.  The second baseman would get to the ball but Kozak beat it out and the throw would get away allowing Lollis to score again to give the Fleet a two run lead.  Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Mount Olive (17-11, 5-2) would get runners on first and second with no one out.  With one out, the Trojans would take advantage of an Erskine error to make it a one run game and put runners and second and third.  Wes Schuler (Spartanburg, SC, USC Sumter) would then get a strike out and ground out to end the game and give Erskine the win.

Lollis was 3-4 to lead the Fleet at the plate, while Kozak was 2-3 with an RBI.  Zach Smith (Lexington, SC, White Knoll HS), Logan Galliher (Taylorsville, NC, Alexander Central HS) and Brandon Overstreet (Stuart, FL, Herkimer CC) each had one hit for Erskine.  Austin Gambrell (Belton, SC, Spartanburg Methodist College) (5-1) didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning and did not allow a run in 7+ innings of work and striking out five to pick up the win.  Schuler picked up the save allowing one run on one hit and striking out two in two innings of work.

The two teams will conclude their series tomorrow with a double header starting at noon.