Trojan softball team splits with Catawba

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 16, 2010 10:36 AM

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MOC Sports Information

MOUNT OLIVE -- Erika Taylor provided the big hit and relief pitcher Sarah Saunders escaped seventh-inning trouble, helping the Mount Olive College softball team claim a 6-2 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against Catawba on Tuesday afternoon.

The Indians took the opener 8-4.

In the nightcap, Danielle Mitchell reached on a one-out, infield single to the pitcher in the Trojans' half of the fifth inning when nobody covered first base. Shortstop Kelly Minshew followed with an opposite-field double to right-center to bring home Mitchell.

Walks to Aubrey Reinhard and Robbin Kennedy loaded the bases for Taylor, who drove in two runs on a ball that landed just in front of the center field fence.

Catawba (19-10 overall) put runners on the corners in the sixth inning, but Saunders got out of the inning with an infield pop-out.

Saunders caught a line drive for the first out of the seventh inning, but then ran into trouble as the top of the Indians' lineup came up. A walk, single and throwing error loaded the bases.

However, Saunders induced back-to-back infield pop-outs to seal the outcome, and snap the Indians' 10-game win streak.

In the opener, Mount Olive (8-15) avoided a run-rule shutout loss as Minshew led off the sixth inning with a single, stole second with one out and came home on Taylor's single through the right side.

Pinch-runner Mitchell advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on Mandy Hensley's single. Hensley eventually scored on Czerski's single to pull the Trojans within 8-3.

After Trojan relief pitcher Kristin Ware sat Catawba down in order in the top of the seventh, Reinhard led off the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit double. Mount Olive pushed a run across the plate and had runners on the corners with two outs after a dropped infield pop fly kept the inning alive.

The rally ended on a foul out.

Catawba starting pitcher Brittany Murray (13-1) pitched five scoreless innings before coming out at the start of the sixth, then re-entered in the seventh to close out the win. Trojan right-hander Lauren Darden (2-10) retired the first five batters she faced and overcame a pair of two-out base runners in the second before running into trouble in the third.

The Trojans open their Conference Carolinas season at home against St. Andrews on Wednesday. First pitch is 5 p.m. at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field.