MOC baseball sweeps Coker

Published in Sports on February 26, 2006 2:16 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Kyle Curtis doubled with two outs in the bottom of the 11th and Mike Kicia followed with the game-winning rbi-single to lead Mount Olive to an 11-inning 6-5 victory over Coker in game one of a Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Scarborough Field.

The Trojans completed the sweep as Graham Wooten's team-leading third home run of the season capped a six-run second inning to lead Mount Olive to a 10-2 victory in game two. The wins extend the Trojans' winning streak to five.

Mount Olive (11-3 overall, 3-2 CVAC) trailed by as many as three runs in game one as Coker (6-5-1, 0-2) used Nic Fletcher's three-run double in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead. But the Trojans answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on Stephen Nordan's rbi-double and Josh Carter's two-run homer.

"I still don't think this team has gelled completely yet," Mount Olive coach Carl Lancaster said. "We've had some good efforts, but I still don't think we're playing to our potential, especially offensively."

Ben Davidson's solo home run in the top of the eighth put Coker back on top, but the Trojans tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth when Tim Morgan scored on Wooten's two-out rbi-single up the middle.

Trojan pitcher Phillip Pennington, who entered the game in the fifth inning in relief of starter Ted Pelech, allowed one run and two hits in 41/3 innings pitched before giving way to Donald Huff (3-0) for the final two innings. Huff, who has pitched 10 scoreless innings of relief this season, allowed only one baserunner and has now retired 32 of 37 batters he has faced this season.

"The jams we got into were self-induced," Lancaster said. "We felt like if we could get Huff a run, he would shut 'em down."

After Coker starter Brad Boob pitched the first nine innings, reliever Steven Dill (2-1) retired the side in order in the 10th and retired the first two batters he faced in the 11th. Curtis then doubled to right field to keep the inning alive and Kicia sent a 1-2 pitch up the middle for the game-winner.

"Even when we were down, I never thought we were going to lose," Lancaster said. "We just came out and played hard and got the hits when we needed to."

In the second game, the Trojans got six consecutive hits in the second inning - all with two outs - to build an 8-0 lead. David Cooper's bunt single started the rally, Carter and Lance Martin connected on rbi-doubles and Wooten finished the inning with his two-run homer.

Justin Staatz (3-1) struck out seven and allowed one run on three hits in the scheduled seven-inning game. Jayson Clarke (2-2) took the loss for Coker.

The two teams complete their three-game series Sunday at Scarborough Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.