CLEVELAND, Ga. - The Newberry College softball team picked up two more wins on the year after sweeping a road double-header against Truett McConnell on Tuesday evening. The scarlet and gray induced the mercy rule in both games with 8-0 and 9-0 victories.

Newberry improved to 15-3 on the year with the wins. The losses set Truett McConnell back to 9-7 on the year.

Felicia Taylor (Venice, Fla.) picked up the win in the first game and improved her season record to 3-0. Taylor went the distance in the five-inning, mercy-rule shortened contest and kept the Bears to just one hit and two total base runners. Taylor's performance kept her ERA spotless on the year at 0.00 after 16.1 innings pitched.

Newberry scored eight runs off of eight hits including five runs in the fifth to induce the mercy rule.

Shelley Jeffcoat (Lexington, S.C.) picked up the win in the second game and moved to 2-1. Jeffcoat pitched three innings but Newberry inducing the mercy rule earned her the win. Jeffcoat held the Bears to three hits and struck out three as well. Lindsay Cruz (Irmo, S.C.) tagged two RBIs and four other Newberry hitters added one.

Game One: Newberry 8, Truett McConnel 0 - Box Score
Newberry put up runs in the second, third and fourth innings before exploding for five in the fifth to blow the game open and induce the mercy rule. Taylor pitched five scoreless innings and kept the Bears to just one hit.

Sara Powell (Ocean View, Del.) put Newberry on the board in the second inning after drawing a leadoff walk. Tiffany Pigage (Lexington, S.C.) moved Powell to second with a sacrifice bunt before Powell rounded the bases by virtue of a passed ball and wild pitch.

The scarlet and gray scored again in similar fashion in the third inning with Jessie Teague (Charlotte, N.C.) drawing a walk, moving up on a Bears' fielding error and eventually scoring on a passed ball.

Newberry padded its lead again in the fourth with Angela Cataldo (Sumter, S.C.) reaching by virtue of a hit-by-pitch. Chelsie Hilbourn (Loris, S.C.) delivered an infield single to move Cataldo up before Jessie Teague (Charlotte, N.C.) singled to left center to score the run.

Newberry blew the game open when it batted around and scored five runs in the fifth. Powell started the inning with a walk and stole two bases before Amanda Huckestein (Port Charlotte, Fla.) doubled to left field to bring home the run. Megan Eysen (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) then delivered a pinch-hit single to score Huckestein followed by another pinch-hit single from Lindsay Cruz (Irmo, S.C.) which plated two more runs. Teague and Whitney Wiles (Iva, S.C.) furthered the inning with a pair of infield singles to cap off the inning.

Game Two: Newberry 9, Truett McConnell 0 -
Box ScoreIn the second half of the twinbill Newberry plated nine runs in the first two innings and kept the Bears off the board to come away with another mercy-rule victory.

Teague got Newberry started in the first with a leadoff single. Teague adavanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored from there when Powell drove an RBI single back up the middle. Eysen was hit by a pitch in the inning and scored on Cruz's sacrifice bunt.

Newberry capitalized on some sloppy Bears' defense to score seven in the second off of three hits and three errors to go up 9-0.

Amber Holley (Aiken, S.C.) pitched two innings in relief and allowed just two hits to solidify the mercy-rule win.

Newberry's next game is scheduled for Thursday, March 11, at Shaw but is subject to change due to impending weather conditions.