Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Barton College pitcher Liz White threw a 10-inning complete game, holding the league's top offensive team to just five hits and two earned runs, as the Lady Bulldogs knocked off rival University of Mount Olive, 5-4, in the first half of a Conference Carolinas doubleheader Tuesday at Nancy C. Cassell Field.
Trailing 5-0 in game two, Barton produced a six-run sixth inning that included Rachel Jordan's first home run of the season, but a season-high five BC errors ultimately helped the Trojans to an 8-6 win in the nightcap.
The split left Barton with a record of 10-20 overall and 3-11 in league play, while Mount Olive moved to 21-15 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
Game 1 – Barton 5, Mount Olive 4 (10 inn.)
The only earned runs allowed by White (6-9) in the game came in the first inning, when Lindsey Russell drew a two-out walk and Tiffany Hawley followed with a long blast over the fence in left for her fourth home run of the year.
Barton, which had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a double by Megan Kelly and an RBI groundout by Jordan, regained that margin in the second inning after taking advantage of a UMO error to score two more runs. Kelly drove in one with a sacrifice fly, and Donna Nimmo singled home the other on a hit to left-center.
Mount Olive came into the contest as the conference leader in batting average (.340), runs scored (214) and RBI (190), but White (6-9) gave up just four more hits the rest of the way and just one after the fourth inning.
Despite her strong effort, the Trojans nearly escaped with a victory after scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-out line drive to center that was dropped.
However, Barton fought back in its final at-bat of regulation play. Nimmo led off the inning with her second hit of the game and was replaced at first base by pinch-runner Lindsey Sharpe. One out later, Betsy Braswell singled to right, ending the night for Mount Olive starter Madison Johnston, who came into the contest second in the league in wins (10) and fourth in ERA (2.38).
An error on a grounder to second loaded the bases for the Lady Bulldogs, and UMO reliever Caitlin Ewers (3-4) then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Sharpe to score the game-tying run. However, Ewers got a groundout to end the inning and strand the potential go-ahead run at third base.
White retired Mount Olive in order in the bottom of the seventh, sending Barton into its fifth extra-inning game in a period of just over two weeks.
Barton sacrificed its international tiebreaker runner to third base to open the eighth but could not score her, and Mount Olive did the same in the bottom of the inning, eventually leaving the bases loaded after an inning-ending strikeout by White.
After both teams failed to score again in the ninth, the Lady Bulldogs finally broke through in the top of the 10th. A groundout to the right side by Braswell moved the tiebreaker runner, Jordan, over to third, and she scored during the next at-bat on a passed ball to put BC up 5-4.
Mount Olive again sacrificed its tiebreaker runner to third to open the bottom of the 10th, but White got a pop-up to short and a foul-out down the right field line to end the game.
White walked six and struck out five in a 165-pitch complete game.
In addition to Nimmo's two hits, Barton received one hit each from six other players. No one had more than one of UMO's five hits.
Game 2 – Mount Olive 8, Barton 6
Mount Olive scored twice in the first inning of game two on two hits and two Barton errors, both common themes of the second contest.
The Trojans produced 11 hits in the nightcap off Barton pitcher Ashlyn Reagan (1-11), and the BC defense committed five errors, its highest total since the 2013 season.
Mount Olive increased its lead to 3-0 in the second inning on a single by Erin Brogan, a stolen base by pinch-runner Ashleigh Mason and a two-out RBI infield single by Kelsey Akers. The Trojans tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Beth Overman after BC had extended the inning with another miscue earlier in the frame.
Trojan starter Lauren Smith was cruising at that point, tossing a two-hit shutout. However, Mount Olive's only error of the contest proved costly as well, as it opened the door for a huge inning by the Lady Bulldogs.
Nimmo again sparked a scoring inning by leading off with a single, and Jordan followed with her home run to left field to cut the deficit to 5-2. Braswell and Crystal Britton followed with singles, and Braswell was replaced on the base patch by a pinch-runner, Sharpe.
With two outs and runners on second and third, a grounder to third was misplayed by UMO, scoring Sharpe to pull Barton within two at 5-3 and keeping the inning alive. Taylor Bowden followed with an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Britton and ending the night for Smith. Ewers came on in relief again, but Kelly pulled a 1-2 offering down the line in left field, driving in two runs to put Barton in the lead for the first time, 6-5.
However, Barton could not make the lead stand. Hawley singled to open the bottom of the sixth and was replaced by a pinch-runner, Brooke Kamphuis, and Lauren McGrath followed with a walk. Both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt, and Kamphuis scored on a groundout to short to tie the game at 6-all.
Kristin Power then drove in the go-ahead run with a single to left field that plated McGrath. A single by Talyor Carter moved Power to second base, and she scored on a throwing error on a grounder to short to give the Trojans a two-run cushion.
Ewers retired the Lady Bulldogs in order in the seventh to even her season record at 4-4.
Nimmo and Britton each had two of Barton's eight hits. Akers, Overman and Powers each had a pair of hits for UMO.
With its victory, Barton gave itself a three-win cushion over Lees-McRae College in the fight for the final Conference Carolinas Tournament spot, and now trails King University by just two in the win column.
The Lady Bulldogs will travel to conference leader Limestone College (19-11, 8-2) for a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader in Gaffney, S.C.
