HARTSVILLE, SC – Coker’s baseball team took a pair of games from Mt. Olive on Good Friday, winning 12-4 in game one and 6-3 in game two.  CC improves to 17-15 overall and 8-6 in the CVAC while MOC falls to 15-19, 8-9 in conference.

The Cobras broke a 3-3 tie late in game one, scoring nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings.  Coker grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning on RBI singles by Conrad Deese/Pageland, SC and Brian Nally. 

In the top of the fourth Josh Carter tied the game at 2-2 with a two-RBI triple and came home on a groundout by Jonathan Pullen for a 3-2 MOC lead.  Coker evened the score in the bottom of the fifth when Nally singled and stole second, then stole third and came home on the errant throw from the Trojan’s catcher.

The Cobra offense came to life in the seventh to score five runs with four hits in the inning, including three doubles.  In the eighth CC took advantage of Mt. Olive’s control problems, plating four runs with only one hit.  The Cobras drew two walks and three hit batsmen in the frame to keep runners on the bases.

Catcher Justin Sims went 2-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Nally and Deese combined to go 4-8 with two RBI and five runs scored.

Mt. Olive started better in game two, taking a 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Carter.  Pitcher Justin Staatz brought the heat early and kept Coker scoreless in the first and second innings.

Staatz and the Trojans seemed to lose focus a bit in the third inning and CC took advantage with a five run outburst.  Coker managed only one hit in the inning, a two-RBI single by Nally, but two more hit batsmen, a walk, and two errors cost the visitors.

Mt. Olive scored two runs to chase starter Nick Green/Beaufort, SC from the game in the sixth inning but Blake Miller came on in relief and recorded the final out and end the rally, leading 5-3.  Coker added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning and the Cobras ended the game with a strike out/caught stealing double-play at third base.

Junior Eric Losten stretched his hitting streak to 13 games by going 2-2 with a run scored.  Nally and sophomore T.J. Dawson, both drove in two runs and Seth Weinberg scored twice.  

The two teams complete the three-game series on Saturday, March 26, at 12:00 PM in Hartsville.