HICKORY, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne College softball team swept Newberry, 2-1 and 3-0, in a key South Atlantic Conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Bears Field.  L-R, winners of 24 of its last 28 contests, improved to 29-12 on the year and 4-2 in league play while the Indians fell to 23-20 and 3-5, respectively.

Game One-Lenoir-Rhyne 2, Newberry 1
Sophomore Alexis Kreske (Miami, Fla./UAB) won her seventh straight decision (15-4) with the complete-game victory, allowing one earned run with five strikeouts.  Kayce McLeod (Newberry, S.C.), despite allowing just one earned run, suffered the loss for the Indians.

The Bears jumped ahead in the first inning with a run after senior left fielder Brandi Mueller (La Porte, Texas) scored on a double steal.  L-R then made it 2-0 in the third thanks to junior second baseman Chrissy Lunsford's (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek HS) RBI single.

Newberry plated its lone run in the fourth inning on Courtney Lindler's (Irmo, S.C.) run-scoring single but Lenoir-Rhyne was able to hold on from there.

Game Two-Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Newberry 0
The Bears received another excellent pitching performance from one of its starters, this time from senior Sarah Cox.  The senior from Hudson, N.C. (South Caldwell HS) pitched her first shutout of the year, scattering seven hits while improving to 7-5 on the year.

Lenoir-Rhyne broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning behind junior right fielder Misty Bingham's (Tega Cay, S.C./Fort Mill HS) RBI single and senior Casey Ledford's (Newton, N.C./Fred T. Foard HS) run-scoring triple.

Mueller's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning rounded out the scoring.  Kreske and Bingham each tallied a pair of hits for Lenoir-Rhyne in the second contest.

Taking the loss for Newberry was Christina Kirby (Delmar, Del./Caesar Rodney HS).  The Bears host Wingate Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for Senior Day in another key conference doubleheader match up while the Indians host Tusculum Friday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.