Conference Carolinas Championships: MOC teams fare well

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on April 20, 2013 11:05 PM

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BURLINGTON -- Sweet revenge.

And near perfection.

Lauren Smith threw a one-hitter inside the pitcher's circle and second-seeded Mount Olive eliminated Queens University of Charlotte, 3-0, from the 2013 Conference Carolinas softball tournament on Saturday evening.

The Trojans avenged two regular-season losses to the Royals, who will be joining the South Atlantic Conference this fall.

Smith yielded a lead-off single to Whitney Britt to start the game and retired the next 21 batters she faced. The sophomore right-hander from Clinton recorded one strikeout, and coaxed Queens into 13 flyouts and seven groundouts on 78 pitches.

Mount Olive (30-13 overall) recorded its second straight 30-win season and third overall under the direction of head coach Jaime Kylis-Higginbotham.

Kalie Smith gave Lauren Smith the cushion she needed with a solo home run in the third inning. The Trojans added two sixth-inning runs on Kelsey Akers' RBI double and Danielle Mitchell's RBI single up the middle.

North Greenville 3, MOC 2

Mount Olive tumbled into the consolation bracket with a 3-2 loss to second-year member North Greenville (S.C.). The Crusaders pushed across two sixth-inning runs and claimed their second win over the Trojans in three meetings this season.

Beth Overman scored on Akers' two-out single to give MOC a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Trojans held that slim advantage until the Crusaders tied it in the fifth inning.

Kalie Smith scampered home on Overman's two-out double in the bottom of the fifth inning to put Mount Olive back in front 2-1.

The Trojan defense turned a sixth-inning double play, but couldn't stop the Crusaders. A single and throwing error pushed North Greenville in front and it remained alive in the championship bracket of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.

Smith and Montgomery finished with two hits apiece for Mount Olive. Madison Johnston (5-3) suffered the complete-game loss inside the pitcher's circle.

MOC 7, Erskine 6 (8 inn.)

The Trojans opened tournament play with a thrilling, come-from-behind 7-6 victory over seventh-seeded Erskine (S.C.) in eight innings on Friday afternoon.

Danielle Mitchell doubled down the right-field line and Katie Moore stroked an opposite-field double to right center, which forged a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Down 6-5, Tiffany Hawley and Kelsey Akers each drew a walk. Erin Brogan connected on a two-out single, which plated pinch-runner Lauren McGrath (who replaced Hawley) for the 6-6 deadlock.

Moore scored the game-winning run on a two-out error in the bottom of the eighth.

Carly White claimed the pitching win.

Women's golf

BURLINGTON -- No single golfer scored better than a 6-over par during opening-round play of the 2013 Conference Carolinas Women's Golf Championships contested at The Challenge Golf Club on Saturday afternoon.

Mount Olive emerged the team leader after 18 holes with a four-player score of 333 -- two strokes ahead of King (Tenn.) and four lower than third-place North Greenville.

Four Trojans finished play among the top 10 -- freshman Virginia Lane, Emelie Andersson, Stefany King and Julie Loennechen.

The 36-hole event concludes today.

Women's tennis

SUMTER, S.C. -- Eight-time defending Conference Carolinas champion Erskine (S.C.) College handed Mount Olive a 5-0 loss during semifinal-round play of the season-ending women's conference tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The fifth-seeded Trojans advanced with a 5-1, quarterfinal-round triumph over in-state foe Pfeiffer U before Mother Nature washed out play on Friday.

All-Conference Carolinas selections Francesca Ceppi and Molly Sue Lentini combined for a 9-8 win at No. 1 doubles. The tandems of Roxanne Chouinard-Maite Bellosa and Samara Paldinho-Paulina Delgado also prevailed in doubles.

Bellosa and Delgado clinched the outcome with wins in singles.

Women's track

BANNER ELK -- Mount Olive sophomore Aerostata Brown jumped 11.83 meters to claim the Conference Carolinas triple jump championship and reach a provislonal mark for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship meet in late May on Saturday afternoon.

Brown was .06 meters away from breaking the school and meet record held by former Trojan Ariel Stephens-Woodard, who set the mark in 2009.

Teammate Amber Thompson emerged the 3,000-meter steeplechase champion in 11 minutes, 51.65 seconds during the Conference Carolinas meet contested at Lees-McRae.

The Trojans finished third as a team.

Denise Harrison was the lone MOC competitor to score in three events -- hammer throw (fourth), shot put (sixth) and javelin (fourth).

Men's tennis

SUMTER, S.C. -- Third-team all-Conference Carolinas selection Brahm Moolman claimed Mount Olive's lone singles point in a 5-2, semifinal-round loss to Limestone (S.C.) in the season-ending conference tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Moolman defeated the Saints' Daniel Lopez 6-2, 6-3.

Gabriel Santana paired up with Moolman to secure a victory at No. 3 doubles -- 8-4 over Lopez-Austin McAlister.

The Saints sealed the outcome with three singles points.

MOC advanced to the semifinals with a 5-1 conquest of Erskine (S.C.) on Friday afternoon. The tandems of Edgar Bub-Rik Wolthuis and Santana-Moolman each emerged victorious in doubles.

Moolman, Akio Mariano and Stanley Roffe each earned a singles win.