Jackson continues to dominate; Leads Trojans to win

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on March 27, 2007 2:47 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Jenny Jackson tossed her second consecutive shutout and helped herself at the plate with a pair of two-run doubles to lead Mount Olive to a 7-0 victory in game two of a Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference softball doubleheader Monday against Erskine at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field. Jackson, who threw a seven-inning perfect game Saturday against Coker, finished with a five-hitter Monday.

In the opener, Shauna Cowdrey allowed only one run in five innings of relief and Courtney Wallace's two-out RBI-single in the third inning tied the game as the Trojans overcame an early three-run deficit for a 5-4 victory. Closer Christine Ermer retired the final two batters of the game with a runner in scoring position to earn her fourth save of the season.

The doubleheader sweep keeps the Trojans in first place in the CVAC standings. Jackson drove in six runs in the twinbill to improve her conference-leading RBI total to 50.

Mount Olive (29-10 overall, 9-1 CVAC) fell behind 3-0 in game one after Courtney Davis belted a three-run homer over the left field fence in the top of the first inning for Erskine. Cowdrey (9-5) took over for starter Krystal Bourne in the second and retired nine of the first 10 batters she faced.

The Trojans tied the game with a three-run third inning, loading the bases with nobody out on consecutive singles by Tiffanie Pittman, Melissa Bright and Kensie Cobb.

Jackson followed with a two-run double to center to pull Mount Olive within a run and Wallace singled in the tying run down the left field line.

Mount Olive took advantage of pitching miscues to score two runs in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases on three walks. Pittman scored the tie-breaking run when an illegal pitch was called and Bright came home on a wild pitch to give the Trojans a 5-3 lead.

Erskine (14-22-4, 3-5) pulled within a run in the top of the fifth as Ashlee Lafontaine doubled with one out and pinch-runner Hailey Whitlock scored on Sharleen Ashby's single to right. Erskine put the tying run in scoring position in the sixth, but Cowdrey got out of the inning on a strikeout.

Cowdrey retired the leadoff batter in the top of the seventh on an infield pop-up, but Lafontaine followed with her second double of the game. Ermer entered the game, striking out the first batter she faced and closing out the game on a ground out to third.

In the nightcap, it was the Trojans who jumped out to a first-inning lead as Pittman led off with a single, Morgan Whaley was hit by a pitch and Cobb reached on a bunt single. Jackson followed with an opposite-field double to right-center to drive in two runs and Mount Olive went on to take a 3-0 lead after one inning.

The Trojans added two more runs in the second as Whaley reached on an infield single, Cobb followed with a double and Jackson brought them both home with a double to extend the lead to 5-0.

On the mound, Jackson (10-3) retired Erskine's leadoff batter in the top of the first, but her streak of consecutive batters retired ended at 26 on Lafontaine's single up the middle. Jackson would go on to retire 10 of the next 11 batters.

Mount Olive struck for two runs in the bottom of the fifth as Pittman hit a two-out single and Whaley doubled to the fence in left-center field. Both runners scored on Cobb's triple to left, putting the Trojans 60 feet away from a run-rule victory. But Erskine pitcher Rebekah George got Jackson to fly out to left, the only time in the doubleheader Jackson was retired.

Jackson went 4-for-5 in the twinbill and raised her season batting average to .505.

Erskine threatened to spoil the shutout with a pair of singles in the sixth, but Jackson got out of the inning on a ground out. Jackson retired the side in order in the seventh.

Jackson struck out eight and walked none.

Cobb went 3-for-4 in each of Monday's two games.

Mount Olive returns to action Thursday as the Trojans travel to Florence, S.C., to take on Francis Marion in a non-conference doubleheader. Game time is 1:30 p.m. Erskine heads to Wilson on Tuesday at 2 p.m. to face Barton in a CVAC doubleheader.