MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Despite a spirited late-game rally, the University of Mount Olive baseball team fell short in an 8-5 loss to No. 11 North Greenville in the final game of a three-game Conference Carolinas series on Saturday at Scarborough Field.

With the loss, the Trojans drop to 20-16 overall and 11-10 in conference play. Mount Olive will look to bounce back on Tuesday, April 8, in a neutral-site matchup against Newberry in Florence, South Carolina. North Greenville, meanwhile, improves to 32-8 and 17-7 in league play.

North Greenville jumped ahead early, scoring the game’s first run on a two-out RBI single in the second inning. Mount Olive answered in the bottom of the third with a run-scoring double to left-center field by redshirt sophomore Jon Howard to even the score at 1-1.

The Crusaders regained the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and then opened the floodgates in the fifth, plating six runs on four hits to build a commanding 8-1 lead.

UMO began to claw back in the seventh inning, sparked by an RBI double from junior Kayden Crawford, followed by run-scoring singles from juniors Lane McLean and Garrett Moffett to close the gap to 8-4. The Trojans added one more run on a wild pitch in the ninth but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Crawford led the offense, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. McLean chipped in with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the mound, junior Lucas Glover (1-2) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on three hits over four innings with four strikeouts. Seniors Aiken Minton, Trey Deutsch, and Gavin Wilson combined for four scoreless innings in relief, striking out four.

Mount Olive will return to action against Newberry on Tuesday, April 8, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. in Florence.