Dalton Oliver turned in a dominating mound performance, and Jarrell Farmer and Caleb Wallace provided big offensive lifts as the Mocksville Junior Legion baseball team dispatched visiting Kannapolis 6-2.
Mocksville improved to 4-2 after losing two in a row.
Oliver went the distance, finishing with a five-hitter. “He was real strong,” coach Robbie Fox said. “His curveball was working real good. He has a split-fingered fastball that was absolutely nasty.”
Oliver has risen to likely ace status on the staff. Chris Reynolds, Jalen Scott, Jesse Tkach and Farmer are other starters. “Oliver’s probably going to wind up being my ace,” Fox said.
Mocksville jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After Reynolds and Beau Byerly reached on walks, Forrest Barber had a run-scoring single. That was followed by Farmer’s two-run hit to center.
Mocksville doubled the lead with another three-run uprising in the third. Barber, Farmer and Andrew Davidson reached to load the bases for Scott, who plated one with a sac fly. The big blow came next, a two-run double to opposite field in left by Wallace.
Kannapolis cut the margin to 6-2 in the fourth, but that’s where the scoring ended. Oliver was backed up by three double plays. Shortstop Barber and second baseman Reynolds turned all three as Mocksville played flawless defense.
“We’re playing real well defensively,” Fox said.
Mocksville, however, dropped the next two games to fall to 4-4.
It scored a season low in runs in a 6-2 loss to West Forsyth Blue in Clemmons. Mocksville let a lead slip away in an 8-7 home decision against Stanly County. It was the fourth setback in five games.