Five Trojans collect conference awards

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on April 15, 2009 1:46 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Alex Vertcnik was named player of the week and B.J. Dail earned pitcher of the week honors as Mount Olive swept this week's Conference Carolinas Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, it was announced Tuesday. Dail becomes the fourth Trojan pitcher to win the award this season, while Vertcnik is the second Trojan to win player of the week honors.

Vertcnik batted .583 (7-for-12) in Mount Olive's three-game Conference Carolinas sweep over Limestone over the weekend. He went 3-for-4 in the Trojans' series-opening 11-4 victory, getting a base hit and scoring a run in a four-run first inning to put Mount Olive ahead to stay. He singled and scored the tying run in a two-run fourth inning the Trojans' 2-1 game two victory. In the series finale, his bases-loaded two-run double broke a 3-3 tie and highlighted a nine-run second inning to propel Mount Olive to a 17-4 win.

Dail shattered the school single-game strikeout record with 15 strikeouts in Mount Olive's 2-1 victory over Limestone. Dail retired 18 of the final 20 batters he faced and finished with a complete game (seven innings) one-hitter. Fourteen of the final 18 outs, including 10 of the last 12, were by strikeout.

The previous record was 11 strikeouts, originally set twice in 2004 and matched three times since.

Softball

Sarah Saunders, who tossed a complete game three-hit shutout in Mount Olive's 1-0 victory over Queens, has been named Conference Carolinas Softball Pitcher of the Week, it was announced Tuesday. Saunders becomes the third Trojan pitcher this season to win the award.

Saunders, a freshman from Suffolk, Va., retired 16 of the final 18 batters she faced, including 12 in a row during one stretch. Two of her three hits allowed were infield singles and she allowed only two baserunners after the second inning. Out of 25 batters faces, Saunders allowed only two balls hit out of the infield. Saunders, who tossed a five-inning shutout against Anderson in her previous outing, has pitched 12 consecutive scoreless innings.

Saunders joins Trojan pitchers Sasha Snyder and Kristin Ware as pitcher of the week winners this season. In addition, outfielder Kat Cahoon won player of the week honors each of the previous two weeks and first baseman/catcher Robbin Kennedy was named player of the week earlier this year.

Tennis

Diogo Miranda, who teamed with Diogo Sender for a come-from-behind doubles win and posted a match-clinching win at No. 6 singles in Mount Olive's 5-4 conference victory over Barton, was named Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Player of the Week.

Miranda and fellow Brazilian freshman Sender rallied from a 7-4 deficit for a 9-8 victory at No. 3 doubles as Mount Olive swept all three doubles matches against Barton.

Golf

Riley Boyette, who broke a 12-year-old Mount Olive record for the lowest 18-hole score, has been named Conference Carolinas Men's Golfer of the Month for the month of the April.

Boyette becomes the first Trojan men's golfer and the second Trojan golfer overall to win golfer of the month honors since the award was established in 2006-07.

Boyette, a sophomore from Princeton, shot a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the Carolina Sands Intercollegiate, eclipsing the previous school record by one stroke.