The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

CENTRE fielder Trae Sweeting helped the top-ranked University of Mount Olive win the 2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship with a 5-4 walk-off victory over Belmont Abbey College Monday afternoon in Elon, North Carolina.

Mount Olive, after falling in the opening round, won five straight elimination games to win the Trojans 14th Conference Carolinas Championship.

Sweeting, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, singled up the middle to drive Tony Salvaggio in to put the Trojans on the scoreboard with a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth.

Zach Mozingo then gaveMount Olive the lift it needed as he tied the game with a home run to left centre and the game was knotted at three.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, Gunner Tolston came up with one away to pinch hit and quickly got on base with a single through the right side.

Bradley Ragan came into pinch hit and worked out a walk to move Tolston to second. Sweeting then scored Tolston from second on an RBI-single through the left side and tied the game at four.

Mozingo then continued the inning by working out a walk to load the bases and force a Belmont Abbey pitching change.

Ricky Surum, with a 3-1 count, waited for the delivery from the Crusader pitcher and watched ball four fall out of the zone allowing Ragan to score from third and UMO walked-off with the 2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship.

Mozingo (3-0) was credited with the win in relief as the senior pitched the final inning allowing one batter to reach base on a walk and not allowing a hit. Mozingo and Sweeting both led the team with two RBI performances at the plate.

Following the game, Sweeting, Austin Hutchinson, German Reyes and Drew Ellis were all named to the Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team.

Mozingo was also named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

As a catcher/out fielder, Sweeting played in 41 games for the Trojans with a .313 batting average. In his 128-plate appearance during the season, he ripped 40 hits, including five doubles and a home run.

Sweeting,who stands at 5-feet, 10-inches and weighs 180-pound junior, had a total of 14 bases on balls (walk), was hit by a pitch 11 times, strike out 21 times, had 11 runs batted in (RBI), scored 32 times and stole 19 bases, while got caught stealing twice.

The son of Bahamas Baseball Federation president Teddy Sweeting, who transferred from Georgia State, is majoring in business management.

Mount Olive will now wait for their seeding in the 2017 NCAA DII Southeast Regional Tournament to be held on May 18-22 at a site to be determined.