Mount Olive College roundup

Published in Sports on February 16, 2006 2:32 PM

• Print
• Email

DURHAM -- Shauna Cowdrey and Christine Ermer combined on a three-hitter, while Tiffanie Pittman and Colleen Thomas led the offense with three hits apiece as Mount Olive defeated North Carolina Central in game one of a non-conference softball doubleheader Wednesday at Durham.

The Trojans completed the sweep as Thomas' two-out double sparked a three-run fifth inning to rally Mount Olive from a two-run deficit for a 7-6 victory in game two. Thomas and Pittman also had three hits apiece in the second game as well.

Wednesday's doubleheader marked the season-opener for the Trojans.

Mount Olive (2-0) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning when Bailey Harrell was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Kat Cahoon stole second, took third on a fly out and scored on Morgan Whaley's single to center.

The Trojans added a pair of runs in the fifth as Pittman and Thomas opened the inning with singles. Pittman advanced to third on an error and scored on Melissa Bright's RBI ground out. Thomas, who stole second and moved to third on the ground out, scored on a wild pitch.

Cowdrey kept North Carolina Central hitless until giving up a leadoff single in the fourth inning. N.C. Central (2-5) got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning when Latisha Judd led off with a bunt single, advanced to third on a stolen base and a ground out, and scored on a passed ball.

Ermer entered the game in relief with one out in the sixth and after giving up a single, struck out the next batter. Trojan catcher Harrell ended the inning when she threw out the runner attempting to steal second, the second runner of the game she threw out. Ermer retired the side in order in the seventh on three ground outs for the save. Cowdrey struck out seven in the win.

In the second game, Mount Olive trailed 2-1 after one inning, but the Trojans tied the game in the top of the second on Jamie Pruitt's two-out single and Erin Wilson's RBI triple. North Carolina Central broke the tie and took a 4-2 lead with two runs in the third.

The first two Trojan batters were retired in the top of the fifth when Thomas, Bright and Krystal Bourne struck for back-to-back-to-back doubles to tie the game. Mount Olive took the lead for good after Bourne scored on an error in the outfield.

The Trojans added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth, again with two outs as Wilson and Pittman connected on consecutive doubles and Thomas followed with an RBI single.

Mount Olive would need those insurance runs as Asha Sutton hit a two-run triple for N.C. Central with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to put the tying run 60 feet away. But Cowdrey, who pitched the final three innings in relief, ended the game on a ground ball to the mound. Cowdrey (2-0) picked up the win in both games.

The Trojans had nine hits in game one and 12 hits in game two, including five doubles and a triple. Defensively, the Trojans committed only one error in the two games.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday as the Trojans travel to Murfreesboro to take on Chowan in a non-conference doubleheader. Game time is 1 p.m.

Men's tennis

team falls

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive fell to Division I UNC-Wilmington 7-2 in non-conference men's tennis Wednesday at Walker Tennis Center. The match was the Trojans' third this season against a Division I opponent.

Mount Olive captured a win at No. 2 doubles as Bruno Capato and Guillherme Serra combined for an 8-6 win over Gustavo Bertei and Caio Piacentini. Felipe Olarte and Lars Faber held a 6-3 lead at No. 3 doubles, but Henrique Meloni and Brian Ford rallied for an 8-6 win as UNCW won two of the three doubles matches.

Efraim Cayana defeated Meloni in straight sets at No. 5 singles for the Trojans' lone singles win. The No. 3 singles match between Serra and UNCW's Dennis Myers lasted nearly three hours before Myers prevailed in a 10-point pro-set tie-breaker. Faber also went three sets at No. 6 singles.

Mount Olive falls to 1-6, while UNC-Wilmington improves to 2-2. The Trojans' other three losses have come to national top 25 Division II opponents.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday as the Trojans open Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference play at home against St. Andrews. Match time is 1 p.m. at Walker Tennis Center. UNC-Wilmington plays host to College of Charleston Saturday at 1 p.m.

Singles

Caio Piacentini (UNCW) d. Gabriel Garcia (MOC) 6-4, 6-2

Gustavo Bertei (UNCW) d. Bruno Capato (MOC) 6-2, 6-4

Dennis Myers (UNCW) d. Guillherme Serra (MOC) 7-5, 6-7, 10-5

Grant Holland (UNCW) d. Felipe Olarte (MOC) 6-2, 7-6

Efraim Cayana (MOC) d. Henrique Meloni (UNCW) 7-6, 6-2

Rahul Rajkhewa (UNCW) d. Lars Faber (MOC) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2

Doubles

Myers/Holland (UNCW) d. Garcia/Cayana (MOC) 8-1

Capato/Serra (MOC) d. Bertei/Piacentini (UNCW) 8-6

Meloni/Brian Ford (UNCW) d. Olarte/Faber (MOC) 8-6

Records

UNC-Wilmington: 2-2

Mount Olive: 1-6

Men's volleyball

team gets big win

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. -- Julio Arnaiz recorded 22 kills and seven blocks and Pedro Penate added a career-high 21 kills to lead Mount Olive to a 26-30, 30-24, 27-30, 30-26, 15-9 victory over nationally sixth-ranked (Division III) Springfield in men's volleyball Wednesday at Springfield, Mass.

The win is the first over a nationally-ranked team in the two-year history of the Trojan men's volleyball program. Mount Olive improves to 2-3, while Springfield falls to 5-6.

Penate, who recorded a .368 hitting percentage, notched a match-high 13 digs, while Arnaiz added 10 digs as both players recorded double-doubles. Cesar Trigo de Serrano finished with 16 kills, while Kyle Lewis had a match-high eight blocks for the Trojans.

Zach Wilson registered a career-high and school-record 64 assists for Mount Olive.

The Trojans posted a team hitting percentage of .248, including a .384 hitting percentage over the final two games.

Eric Palumbo led all players with 25 kills for Springfield, while David Smietana added 20 kills.

Mount Olive returns to action Friday as the Trojans travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to take on D'Youville, ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Division III Top 15 National Poll. Match time is 7 p.m.

The Trojans' match at top-ranked Juniata (Pa.), scheduled for Saturday, has been canceled and will not be rescheduled.

Men's basketball

team still No. 7

Mount Olive remained at No. 7 for the second consecutive week in this week's NCAA Division II East Region Poll, it was announced Wednesday. The Trojans, who have been ranked either No. 4 or No. 7 in each of the first five polls this season, have been ranked in the East Region Top 10 in 20 consecutive polls, dating back to January 2004.

Mount Olive is 18-5 overall, 14-5 in the East Region and 12-4 in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference. The poll reflects games played through Sunday and does not include Monday's 77-57 win over Coker.

Mount Olive is one of three CVAC members ranked in the regional top 10, joining top-ranked Barton and No. 9 Queens. The Trojans defeated Queens and fell to Barton last week.

Five teams from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are ranked in the poll, while one Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference team and one independent are in the top 10.

The conference champions from the CVAC, PSAC and WVIAC earn bids to the NCAA II East Regional in March, along with the top five at-large teams. The regional poll will be announced each Wednesday through March 1.

Mount Olive returns to action today as the Trojans travel to Belmont to take on Belmont Abbey in a CVAC matchup. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

MOC Sports Information