NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne took turns winning their first conference games Saturday afternoon at Kirkland Field, Newberry taking the opener 6-4, and L-R dominating the nightcap 5-1. The teams are set to meet Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. to decide the conference opening series for both schools.

Each team, in its respective win, jumped to a 4-0 lead and never fell behind. Newberry's Billy Alm (Pine Plains, N.Y.) and Lenoir-Rhyne's Andrew Cooper (Belmont, N.C.) were the winners on the mound.

Lenoir-Rhyne out-hit Newberry 14 to five in the opener, but stranded 13 runners in the 6-4 loss. L-R pitcher Bobby Kennett (Englewood, Fla.) hit five batters with pitches, two of those in the fourth, helping Newberry score a pair of runs in that inning.

Indian outfielder Dustin Smith (Conway, S.C.) sacrificed in the first inning to right field to put up the game's first run, then Travis Moore (Blythewood, S.C.) fired a double to left that hooked left in heavy wind to score another. Two runs plated in the fourth from a hit, an error, two hit batters, and a Stuart Kay (Greer, S.C.) sac fly.

The Bears scored two off a Jason Raines (Mebane, N.C.) single in the sixth inning, then repeated the scoring act in the next frame. Three consecutive hits followed by a wild pitch sent John Pugh (Asheboro, N.C.) and Taylor MacCurdy (Charlotte, N.C.) home. Newberry escaped without further harm by putting out three of four ensuing batters. Second baseman Matt Webb (Cheraw, S.C.) recorded the second out in remarkable fashion, sprinting to shallow right field to make a sliding, over-the-shoulder catch of Matt Wiley's popup, holding the two runners who were in scoring position.

Just as the wind and sunshine began to fade at the start of the second game, the Bears came alive on defense and took advantage of every opportunity on offense. Cooper pitched a complete game win for L-R, fanning eight, walking three, and giving up four hits and an unearned run in seven innings.

Matt Wiley (Charlotte, N.C.) scored two runners on a double, then scored himself after a wild pitch to give Lenoir-Rhyne a quick 3-0 advantage in the first. Newberry managed a run in the third stanza when Anthony Dillenger (Gaffney, S.C.) singled, moved to third on a stolen base and error, and scored on Ryan Easterby's (Charleston, S.C.) RBI groundout. L-R answered that run with runs of their own in the second and fifth innings to close out the scoring.