MOC hammers Barton softball

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on April 5, 2012 1:49 PM

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MOC

Sports Information

WILSON -- Freshman Lauren Smith threw her single-season, school-record eighth shutout of the year and Mount Olive College continued its 11-game road swing with a doubleheader sweep of archrival Barton.

Katie Moore swatted her third home run of the season, lifting the Trojans to a 13-2, mercy-rule victory in the opener. Christie Wright threw a complete-game, four-hitter.

MOC won the nightcap, 9-0.

Smith's shutout was her second in a row after tying the school record in Sunday's 5-0 win at Limestone. Smith had shared the record with Jenny Jackson (2007) and MOC Athletics Hall of Famer Michelle Matthews (2000).

The Trojan women (24-14 overall, 12-4 CC) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third in game two. Kassie Lowe was hit by a pitch and Kayla Voorhees singled. Beth Overman followed with a single and the first of two Barton errors in the frame gave Mount Olive a 2-0 lead. The second error on a grounder by Robbin Kennedy stretched the lead to 3-0.

The cushion was all Smith (14-6) needed as Barton (12-19, 2-10) was able to get more than one runner on base in an inning only twice during the seven-inning contest. Lauren Smith struck out two and walked none.

The Trojans were able to push across a single run on a two-out RBI double by Katie Devenuto in the fourth. In the fifth, Kennedy, the current Conference Carolinas player-of-the-week, singled home another run. In the sixth, the Trojans stretched the lead to 6-0 when Lowe belted her first home run of the season.

In the opener, Voorhees and Moore delivered three hits apiece in support of Wright. Danielle Mitchell added two hits and three RBI, while Rebekah McDaniel scored twice and drove in two runs. Seven different Trojans drove in at least one run.

Wright (4-6) allowed only one earned run while striking out three and walking one.