NEWBERRY — The Wolves won both games of Friday’s doubleheader against Southern Wesleyan, 8-0 with Game One going five innings and Game Two lasting six.
Emily Marchbanks’ (6-2) pitching clinic saw her toss a complete five inning no hitter against the Warriors. She faced 17 different batters and only walked one. Her 81 pitches in the circle controlled the pace of the game and nabbed her another win on the season. She is currently in a tie for tenth in the South Atlantic Conference for most wins and is fifteenth for strikeouts.
Marchbanks’ performance was supported by Newberry’s offense who would tally eight runs, 11 hits, and five RBIs on 22 at bats. Paving the way for the Wolves were designated player Haley Simonds, first baseman Haley Wildes and catcher Daphne Peyton.
Simonds would tally a hit, run, and an RBI through her three at bats. Wildes posted two runs, a hit, and an RBI during her three appearances. Peyton also rounded the order three times, cranking out three hits, and three RBIs.
Newberry opened the game with three runs in the second inning. Wildes reached base on a fielder’s choice to the third baseman that sent Morgan Wagaman to second, but a throwing error by the catcher would place her on third. Paige Meyer found her way home from third base during the fielding cluster.
Wildes later advanced on a wild pitch to third base that sent Wagaman to cross home plate. Due up next for the Wolves was Peyton who singled to left field and easily slid Wildes to score. Newberry would hold a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the third.
The following inning saw Simonds double through the right side and advance Natalie Willis up a base to score. She would then move up a base herself due to a passed ball by Southern Wesleyan pitcher. The inning ended on a line out to the right fielder by Allison Van Atta, but not before Simonds scored on a throwing error by the right fielder.
Newberry’s final inning concluded with Wildes singling to third base with Meyer going to third and pinch runner Tatum Johnson crossing home. Wildes stole second amid Peyton’s at bat, but her triple to left field would wrap the game up as Wildes and Meyer scored the Wolves’ final runs.
Tori Caldwell, N. Willis, Meyer, and Wagaman were all other Wolves who tallied quality at bats during Game One.
Game Two was another display of efficient pitching from Newberry as Alyssa Ball and Chelsey Cunningham would combine to only allow six hits against a total of 23 batters. Both pitchers had three bouts on the mound as Cunningham’s third win would provide some insurance for the Wolves’ offense.
Newberry nearly doubled Southern Wesleyan’s hits ending the contest with 15 and scoring in three of the six innings. The first scoring inning came in the third as McKenzie Barneycastle, Caldwell, Willis, and Simonds would all garner RBIs. The trio of Barneycastle (.523), N. Willis (.382), and Simonds (.444) are all in the top 20 in the SAC for their batting averages.
With the lead at 4-0, the Wolves tacked on three more runs in the fifth. Simonds ripped another home run to center field and was accompanied at home plate by Willis. Wildes’ double later on in the inning scored Meyer to give Newberry a 7-0 advantage.
The sixth saw pinch hitter Sydney Patterson single through the left side. Next up in the order for the Wolves was Willis who doubled to right field and shifted Patterson over two bases. Simonds wrapped up the game for Newberry on a single to first base where Willis made her way to third, but Patterson’s run ended the game.
Southern Wesleyan showed life in the second and the third tallying two hits and leaving a total of three runners left stranded on base.
The Wolves would also come out victorious in a doubleheader matchup against Augusta on Thursday with a score of 14-6 in Game One and 2-0 in Game Two.
Newberry is on a seven-game winning streak with six of those wins stemming from this week’s three-day homestand.
