SALISBURY, N.C. – The sixth seeded Newberry College softball team came alive on day two of the 2006 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament by rallying to beat seventh seed Mars Hill College, 8-6, in eight innings and by playing nearly flawless ball in a 6-1 win over fifth seed Presbyterian College.  Newberry, who improves to 21-33-1 on the season, moves on to day three of the tournament for an 11:45 a.m. match-up with Tusculum College. 

Mars Hill ends the season at 22-37 while Presbyterian closes their season with a 25-33 record.

Newberry 8, Mars Hill 6 (8 innings)

In the 9:30 a.m. opener, Newberry jumped on the board first when they put up three runs in the third inning.  Ashleigh Anderson (Barnwell, S.C.) started the inning by getting hit by a pitch and Jessica Jackson (Batesburg, S.C.) followed with a single.  Anderson scored after Courtney Lindler (Irmo, S.C.) hit a single to third and Sarah Lynch (Pompano Beach, Fla.) scored Jackson with a sacrifice RBI to the pitcher.  Lindler later stole home for the third run of the inning. 

Mars Hill responded in their half of the inning thanks to a Jessica Valentine RBI double.  The Lady Indians added two more runs in the fifth after Lynch and Christina Kirby (Delmar, Del.) each produced RBI singles.  The Lions pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth after Katie Bryden scored on a wild pitch.  Newberry added a much needed run in the top of the seventh after Lynch came up with her third RBI of the game. 

The Lions weren’t ready to quit as they came up with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.  Bryden drove in the first run with a single to shortstop and Ashley Harber followed with a bases-clearing single to right center, tying the game.  After a single and two walks, freshman Stephanie Monette (Conway, S.C.) came on in relief to get the Lady Indians out of the jam.  Monette was able force Felicia Holder into a line out, and center fielder Jackson stepped up defensively to make a shoelaces grab to force the eighth inning.

In the Newberry eighth, Jenny Raines (Blythewood, S.C.) got hit by a pitch to start the Lady Indian rally and Amy Jarrell (Dover, Del.) followed with a double.  Ashley Marine (Peachtree City, Ga.) eventually drove in Jarrell with a single to left field and later scored herself off a Jackson RBI bunt single. 

Mars Hill was able to get two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth, bringing Harber to the plate.  With Monette pitching, Harber blasted what looked like the game-winning, walk off home run towards left field, but left fielder Marine robbed the batter with a game-ending, over-the-fence catch. 

Monette (2-6) earned the win in one plus innings of relief and gave up just two hits.  Kirby struck out two batters in the first six plus innings of the game.  Katie Blankenship (8-13) picked up the loss and struck out two.  Newberry recorded 11 hits on the game, while Mars Hill came up with 16. 

Newberry 6, Presbyterian 1

In the 2 p.m. match-up with Presbyterian, the Lady Indians jumped on top early and never looked back.  Newberry exploded for 15 hits, the most they’ve had in one game all season, and held the Blue Hose to just six hits. 

Lynch got Newberry on the board early with a two-run home run in the first inning.  Betsy Shealy (Leesville, S.C.) doubled down the left field line, scoring Kirby.  The Lady Indians didn’t stop there, as they plated two more runs in the second inning.  Marine started the Newberry second with a single up the middle and later scored off a Lindler RBI single.  Lindler later scored herself off a Kirby RBI single. 

Presbyterian’s lone run came in the fifth inning when Shannon Vining’s single to left field scored Haley Brooks.  The Lady Indians added an insurance run in the sixth to seal the deal after Kat Hammond (Irmo, S.C.) singled to center field, scoring Lynch who reached on a single.  Presbyterian was unable to threaten in the final two innings due to stellar Newberry defense and steady pitching. 

Freshman McKenzie Phillips (Wallace, N.C.) picked up her first win in six tries to improve her record to 7-12.  Phillips struck out three and gave up just six hits and one run in her best outing in a month.  Jessica Flanagan (2-5) was charged with the loss, while Megan Wheelus and Samantha Slater came on in relief.  Every Lady Indian in the batting order produced a hit in the win, including six people with two hits. 

With just four teams left, Newberry advances to Game 11 of the SAC tournament which takes place tomorrow, April 22, at 11:45 a.m.  The Lady Indians will face eighth seed Tusculum College, who defeated third seed Carson-Newman College, 4-3, in eight innings.  Lenoir-Rhyne College and Wingate University, the tournament's top two seeds, are the only teams left with no losses.  They will face off at 2 p.m. at Catawba's Whitley Field and the loser will face the Newberry/Tusculum winner at 4:15 p.m.