Tiffany Hawley slugged a two-run homer, and Madison Johnston held North Greenville to six hits as Mount Olive rallied to earn a doubleheader split with the Crusaders 4-2 in Conference Carolinas softball Monday afternoon in Tigerville, S.C. The Crusaders won the opener 3-2.
In the nightcap, Johnston (4-1) shut down North Greenville after allowing a first inning run. The Crusaders' Sarah Armstrong (1-4) was just as tough on Trojan hitters as well. Mount Olive managed just a single and two walks off Armstrong through five innings.
In the fourth, the Trojans got help from a pair of North Greenville errors to take the lead without the benefit of a hit. An error, a hit-batsman and a sacrifice fly by Hawley knotted the game 1-1. Savannah Becker later scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, however, the Trojan attack came alive. Still ahead 2-1, Mount Olive got a one-out double from Kalie Smith. Moments later, she trotted home on Hawley's first home run of the season.
That was more than enough run support for Johnston, who worked her way out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth to get the win. The Crusaders put the tying run in scoring position with one out in the sixth, but got the runner no further than second, thanks to a pair of flyouts.
In the opener, the Trojans managed just four hits again. This time, however, North Greenville rallied for single runs in the fifth and sixth to escape with the win.
Mount Olive scored both its runs in the top of the first as Beth Overman doubled with one out and Katie Moore followed with a walk. After Jones grounded out to advance both runners, Becker singled to right-center field for a 2-0 lead.
Trojan errors allowed North Greenville back in the game. In the bottom of the first, the Crusaders got one run back with two singles and an error. Then in the fifth, North Greenville pulled even when an error opened the door.
North Greenville went ahead for good in the sixth, when the Crusaders put together three straight two-out hits.
The Trojans return home this week for their final games of the season at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field. On Tuesday, Mount Olive hosts a doubleheader against UNC Pembroke beginning at 5 p.m. On Thursday, Barton travels to Mount Olive for a pair of games that were rained out last week. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.