Trojans hand Bishops first loss, West sets defensive record

Rocky Mount, NC - The Trojan baseball team of Mt.Olive College handed 7th-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan its first loss of the season on Tuesday, downing the Bishops by a 13-1 score at Bauer Field.  Mt.Olive exploded for 10 runs in the first two innings, and their pitching staff did the rest as three different Trojans saw time on the mound in the rain-shortened contest.  Senior shortstop Nathan West (pictured) was one the few Bishop highlights of the day as he set a new program record for assists with the 447th of his career. 

MOC evens its record at 4-4 on the season.  The Bishops are now 5-1 overall.

The Trojans broke through on Wesleyan starter Jonathan Shearon in the first.  After David Cooper and Stephan Nordan drew walks, Erik Lovett drove a two-run triple into the gap in right-center to plate both runners.  Lovett promptly scored on a Dustin Richardson RBI-single to left.

The second inning saw Mt. Olive strike for seven more runs.  Josh Carter led off the frame with a solo homer into the pine trees in left field.  Six hits and two Bishop errors later, the Trojans had built a 10-run cushion after two complete.

MOC added a run in the third, and after a two-run blast to right field by Cooper in the fifth, the Bishops found themselves down 13-0.

Wesleyan managed to plate its lone run in the bottom of the sixth on a West RBI-single to left field.  Defensively, West’s milestone assist had come in the first when he turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.  He added four more assists over the next five innings and now has 551 in his career.

The game was called after the completion of the sixth due to rain.

Daniel Wood earned the win on the mound for the Trojans, scattering four hits over 4.0 innings of work.  Patrick Ball and Darrell Ellis threw the final two frames.  Ellis allowed the lone NCWC run.

Jonathan Shearon suffered the loss for Wesleyan, allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits in 1.0 inning.  Freshman Doug Roenker tossed 3.2 innings and gave up five runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out three.  Shaun Moore was perfect in his 1.1 innings of work.

The Trojans collected 13 hits on the day and were led by Cooper’s 2-for-4 performance.  The junior shortstop also scored four runs, stole three bases, and drove in two runs with his first homer of the season.

Seven different Bishops ripped singles on the day as Wesleyan left the bases loaded on two occasions.

The Bishops will now take their first road trip of the season.  Wesleyan is slated to play Huntingdon College in Alabama on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

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