HICKORY, N.C. — After being swept at home for the first time this season, the Newberry softball team made their last road trip of the season to face the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. The Bears scored early and often and the Wolves could not get a rally going as they fell twice to the second place team in the SAC.
Game one:
The Bears struck quickly as they used back-to-back home runs to take a 6-0 lead after the first inning. However, the Wolves responded, Hannah Towery took the first pitch of the second inning far beyond the right center field fence to get Newberry on the board at 6-1.
Unfortunately, that would be all the offense the Wolves got until the fifth inning. The Bears plated three in the bottom of the second and one in the bottom of the third to make the score 10-1. The Wolves’ backs were against the wall in the top of the fifth, needing to score two times to escape the eight-run rule. Leah Evans reached on a double and come home on a Mallena Wright sacrifice fly but that was as close as Newberry would get as the Bears came away with the game one win, 10-2.
Game two:
The Bears hit four home runs as they scored the first 11 runs of the game and held the Wolves offense to only one hit until the fifth. In the fifth inning, the Wolves loaded the bases with a walk and singles by Lindsey Mitchell and Christine Butler, resulting in Butler scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Reagan Smith. The Wolves stranded the bases loaded as the Bears would come away with a sweep, 11-2.