University of Mount Olive posted a pair of five-inning double-digit victories and head coach Mandy Sansbury reached the career 100-win mark as the Trojans swept Saint Augustine's University 11-1 and 12-0 in a non-conference softball doubleheader Wednesday at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field. Kelsey Akers and Kayla Allen had two hits apiece in each game, while Julie Hodges retired 15 consecutive batters in a one-hit shutout in game two.
Mount Olive (13-13) led 10-1 after two innings in game one as the Trojans sent nine batters to the plate in each of the first two innings. Allen singled in a run in a six-run first inning and a four-run second inning.
Trojan starting pitcher Madison Johnston (8-5) gave up an unearned run on two hits in the top of the first as Saint Augustine's took a 1-0 lead. Johnston retired the final 10 batters she faced and finished with one strikeout and one walk in four innings.
Kylie Ward took over in the fifth, overcoming a leadoff infield with back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to give Sansbury her 100th career win. Sansbury is in her second year at Mount Olive after spending three years as head coach at Glenville State University.
In the second game, Hodges (4-2) allowed a leadoff double to opposing pitcher Akera McPhaul, then didn't allow another baserunner the remainder of the game. She struck out two batters in each of the first three innings and finished with seven strikeouts for the game.
Akers gave Hodges all of the run support she needed in the bottom of the first after leading off with an opposite-field single to shallow left field. Akers stole second and third, and came home on an errant throw to third. She finished with five stolen bases in the doubleheader.
The Trojans led 6-0 after three innings, then erupted for six more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back doubles by Allen and Anna Ingram produced a run and Callie Ferrell added a two-run single. Akers capped the scoring with an rbi-triple to right.
Wednesday's doubleheader was only Mount Olive's second home date of the season and first in nearly two weeks. Kristin Power, who scored two runs and drove in two runs in the doubleheader, was excited to be playing at home.
"It feels good to be playing in front of our student body again," said Power, a sophomore second baseman from Clayton, N.C. "Hopefully, today's games will give us momentum going into this weekend."
Mount Olive is at home this weekend for a pair of Conference Carolinas doubleheaders. The Trojans play host to Belmont Abbey College Saturday and to first-year softball program Converse College. First pitch both days is 1 p.m. at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field.
Between games of Saturday's doubleheader, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held for the newly constructed Power Batting Cage, made possible through a gift by the parents of Kristin Power and her sister, Trojan women's soccer student-athlete Lauren Power.