NEWBERRY — The Newberry College softball team found itself on the wrong end of a pair of tight battles at the Smith Road Complex on Sunday, losing to the Carson-Newman Eagles by scores of 3-2 and 4-1.
Carson-Newman jumped out to an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the first and an RBI double to center by Kristen Toppel with two outs in the second to make it 2-0.
Newberry rallied with two outs in the second inning. Ann Dee Priest singled to left, Mallory Gerndt was hit by a pitch and McCourry drew a walk to load the bases. Linton smashed a single up the middle to bring home two runs and tie the game.
McCourry would work around Carson-Newman baserunners throughout the game, stranding 13 Eagles on base in the game. The Eagles took the lead in the sixth with a two-out rally of their own, with Elayna Siebert hitting an RBI single to give the guests the lead.
Newberry missed out on opportunities to take the lead, with the go-ahead run stranded on third base in the third and fifth innings.
McCourry threw 170 pitches with 90 strikes in the game.
In the second game Carson-Newman went out to a 2-0 lead once again, scoring a pair of unearned runs from a bases-loaded, two-out situation on a hit batsman and a fielder’s choice.
Newberry left the bases loaded in the bottom of the second and cut into the lead in the fourth. Loffler and McCourry led off the frame with walks and a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position. Gerndt’s two-out double brought home a run, but the tying run was thrown out at the plate.
The Eagles loaded the bases with none out in the fifth before Morrison worked out of the jam. She struck out a batter for the first out and Linton caught a line drive to center and threw out a runner at home to end the inning.
Newberry was only able to get one runner to second base in the sixth inning despite solid at bats. Carson-Newman picked up a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a pinch hit double by Ashlyn Cooper and a Siebert single up the middle.
Newberry falls to 22-14 overall and 3-7 in the South Atlantic Conference, while Carson-Newman is now 23-13 overall and 8-2 in league action. The Wolves head to Charlotte, N.C., to visit Queens for a 2 p.m. doubleheader Tuesday at Park Road Park.