NEWBERRY – A three-run rally in the seventh inning was not enough as No. 9 Newberry, playing its first game as a top 10 team in 42 years, fell to No. 24 Mount Olive 6-4 on Tuesday night.
The loss handed Newberry (31-8) its first defeat at the Smith Road Complex since April 14, 2018, a span of 353 days. The Wolves had begun the season 20-0 at the Smith Road Complex and now have the second-best home record in all three NCAA divisions.
Tuesday's game also represented just the fourth time in Newberry's NCAA era that it had played in a game of two ranked teams. The Wolves were ranked 20th when they took two of three games at No. 18 Catawba Feb. 27-28, 2016.
Mount Olive (23-9), which had snapped a 13-game Newberry winning streak in the teams' previous meeting last month in North Carolina, halted a 12-game Newberry streak with Tuesday's win. The Trojans had eight hits while holding Newberry to six, tied for the third-fewest hits by the Wolves in a game this season.
Mount Olive scored two runs on three hits in the opening frame and never relinquished the lead in handing the Wolves their first loss since March 12. The Trojans chased starter
Jonathan Elicier after scoring three earned runs on five hits and coaxing four walks in four innings. Elicier struck out a team-high five batters.
Newberry scored a run on
Nick Butler's booming two-out double in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 3-1, but Mount Olive responded with a run in the fourth. The lead ballooned to 6-1 before the Wolves rallied for three runs in the seventh that trimmed Mount Olive's lead to two.
A walk, a fielder's choice, and a fielding error put two on with one out for
Zane Tarrance, who laid down a sacrifice bunt but was safe on a throwing error. Everyone moved up 90 feet on the miscue to give Newberry its first unearned run of the inning.
After a strikeout,
Tyler White pinch hit for
Tyler Ackard to create a favorable righty-lefty matchup for the Wolves. White turned on a 1-0 pitch and rocketed it through the infield for a two-run single that cut the lead to two runs. Zack Burke entered the game for the Trojans and gave up a single to
Colin Allman but was able to induce a flyout to end the threat.
Burke was credited with a save, pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless relief with two hits allowed. He has not conceded an earned run in seven appearances this season. Reliever Jake Isbell earned the win by allowing one unearned run on one hit in 2.2 innings.
Elicier suffered the loss for Newberry.
Beau Thompson gave up three runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work. Reigning Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week
Quinton Driggers worked 1.2 hitless innings and lowered his ERA to 1.41, good for 10th in Division II and the lead in the SAC.
Ryan Harbin gave up no runs and one hit in his one inning of work.
White paced the Wolves offensively with his two RBI's on one hit. No Newberry player had multiple hits on a night in which the top three in the order were a combined 0-for-11.
Danton Hyman was held without a hit but reached on a walk to extend his reached-base streak to 46 games.
Newberry returns to action with a 3:00 p.m. game at SAC foe Carson-Newman on Friday afternoon.
