Mount Olive dropped both games of its conference doubleheader at Chowan on Saturday, falling 2-1 in a tightly contested opener before coming up short in a late comeback attempt in a 5-3 loss in game two. Mount Olive dropped both games of its conference doubleheader at Chowan on Saturday, falling 2-1 in a tightly contested opener before coming up short in a late comeback attempt in a 5-3 loss in game two.

The Trojans struck first in game one with aggressive base running in the opening inning. Samantha Taylor worked a lead off walk and quickly advanced into scoring position after stealing second. During a bunt attempt by McKenzie Millard, Taylor moved to third and then stole home to give Mount Olive an early 1-0 lead.
Both teams settled into a defensive battle as pitching and defense dominated. Mount Olive threatened in the third when Millard was hit by a pitch and Thome singled. King bunted both runners over, but Chowan escaped unscathed.
The Trojans created mid-game chances with a Saw bunt single in the fourth and a Taylor double in the fifth, but added no insurance.
Chowan broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kaitlyn Springle led off the frame with a double before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Hope Soria tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and the Hawks later took the lead when Kyra Helton reached on a fielding error that allowed another run to score.
Mount Olive threatened in the seventh when Brewer doubled. Womack bunted her to third, but the Hawks recorded a key out at the plate and held on for the 2-1 win.
Emma Myatt delivered a strong performance in the circle for the Trojans, allowing just four hits and one earned run across six innings.

In game two, Chowan capitalized on early opportunities to build a lead before holding off a late Mount Olive rally.  The Hawks broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, scoring twice after Ava Mizell crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Calliope James drove in another run with a single to left field. Chowan added two more runs in the fourth inning with a run-scoring bunt single from Mizell and an RBI ground out by Kyra Helton to extend the lead to 4-0.
Chowan pushed the advantage to 5-0 in the sixth inning when Mizell scored on another wild pitch.  However, Mount Olive mounted a late push in the seventh inning. Kynley Brewer and Samantha Taylor opened the frame with singles before McKenzie Millard added another base hit to load the bases. Elizabeth Thome delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a three-run double to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
The Trojans were unable to continue the rally, however, as Chowan recorded the final outs to secure the sweep.
Alex Steen worked six innings in the circle for Mount Olive in the second game, striking out eight while allowing five runs.

Mount Olive looks forward to its next competition against Barton, scheduled for March 17 in Mount Olive, NC.  The double header has games that begin at 2:00 and 4:00 PM.