MOUNT OLIVE (March 9) – The University of Mount Olive softball program earned a doubleheader split against Millersville on Sunday afternoon at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field, winning Game 1 by a 4-1 margin before dropping 12-1 in Game 2.
With the split, the Trojans move to 10-10 overall while competing in their first home game in nearly a month. Mount Olive turns its attention to Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday, March 12, with the opener against UNCP at home, starting at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, the Marauders stand at 11-3 this season after entering the doubleheader today on a 10-game winning streak.
In Game 1, freshman starting pitcher
Linda Hodge (4-2) earned the victory after tossing her second complete game of the week. She yielded just one unearned run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 7.0 innings pitched (105 pitches). Hodge retired the initial nine batters she faced and forced a staggering 17 flyouts on Sunday afternoon.
The Trojans threatened in the bottom of the first inning following a leadoff single from freshman
Leah Russell and a walk from sophomore
McKenzie Millard. UMO was unable to score the base runners and ultimately stranded the pair in scoring position. The Marauders registered the first run in the top of the fifth inning after scoring a throwing error, 1-0.
Mount Olive rallied in the bottom of the fifth with three runs on five hits, as freshmen
Emily Saw and
Sophia Gleim recorded back-to-back singles to begin the frame. A sacrifice fly moved the runners in scoring position before Russell hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Saw, 1-1. The next at-bat, Millard laced an RBI single down the left-field line to take a 2-1 edge. Later in the frame, sophomore
Laci Best ripped an RBI single to center field to extend the lead to 3-1.
UMO added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, as senior
Alyssa Smothers hit an RBI single up to the middle to hold a 4-1 advantage.
Gleim finished 3-for-3 with one run scored while Russell went 2-for-3 with one RBI in the Game 1 win.
In Game 2, the Trojans got on the board in the first inning, as junior
Samantha Taylor ripped an RBI single to center field to score Millard, who reached second base on a throwing error, 1-0. Following a scoreless second frame, Millersville answered with six runs on five hits in the third, highlighted by a three-run homer to center field that just cleared the wall, 6-1. The Marauders added a run in the fourth on an RBI single to stretch the advantage to 7-1.
Millersville pulled away in the top of the fifth with five runs on four hits to extend the lead to 12-1 and eventually capture the run-rule victory at the end of the fifth.
Freshman
Hailey King suffered the loss (3-3) after surrendering six runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 3.0 innings pitched (64 pitches).
The Trojans return to action on Wednesday, March 12, for a doubleheader versus UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas action with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
