NEWBERRY — After suffering back-to-back sweeps in conference play, the Newberry softball team welcomed the top team in the SIAC, the Claflin Panthers, to the Smith Road Complex. .
The Wolves started out hot in game one and continued that into game two as 23 total runs came across the plate. The Wolves registered their 13th and 14th consecutive wins over the Panthers. The wins moved the Wolves to 32-16 on the season.
Game one:
After Lindsey Foster sent the Panthers down in order with two strikeouts, the Newberry offense broke out with six runs in the bottom of the first. The Wolves loaded the bases with one out for Mackenzie Turner who deposited a bases clearing double into the left-center field gap to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead. Turner scored on a wild pitch and Vanessa Wilson delivered a two-RBI double to make it 6-0 after one inning of play.
Claflin scratched across a run in the top of the second capitalizing on two Newberry errors but the Wolves responded back with another six-spot in the bottom of the second. The Wolves led off the inning with four-straight singles, with an RBI being credited to Turner, to make the score 7-1. A sacrifice fly by Tedi Nunn made it 8-1. After a Foster walk, the Wolves had the bases loaded once again but this time for Wilson. She delivered a grounder that got through the shortstop’s legs and rolled all the way to the wall, clearing the bases to make it 11-1. Wilson ended up at second base on the error and came home on a double fielding and throwing error by the second baseman to make it an 11-run lead after two innings.
Claflin did not go away quietly as they plated the next four runs to cut the lead to eight, all four of those runs came with two outs. However, Newberry got a run back in the bottom of fourth as a throwing error on an Emily Hughes sacrifice bunt brought home Amber Dalfonso, to give the game the final score of 13-5. Foster quelled a Claflin rally in the top of the fifth to record her fourth complete game of the season.
Game two:
Both teams were held scoreless in their first at-bats but the Wolves scored two in the second as an RBI double from Nunn would scored Lindsey Mitchell, who led off the inning with a double. A sacrifice fly from Tori Rose scored Hailey Hill to make it 2-0 to the Wolves after two innings of play.
Brittany Crowson only needed four batters to retire the side in the top of the third and the Newberry offense put the game out of reach. The Wolves recorded their third six-run inning of the twinbill with RBIs coming from Mitchell, Nunn, Rose and Wilson delivered the big hit of the inning with a two-run home run to make the score 8-0. Newberry got two more runs on a two-RBI double from Nunn to make it a ten-run ballgame.
Ally Sullivan relieved Crowson after 3.1 scoreless innings and struck out four. Sullivan only needed six batters to record the last five outs to preserve the shutout for the Wolves, their seventh of the year.
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