HARROGATE, Tenn. - The Newberry College softball team split its third consecutive South Atlantic Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Newberry fell, 7-4, in the opener but retaliated in the second half of the twinbill with a 3-1 victory.

Newberry went to 23-6 (3-3 SAC) while LMU moved to 22-10 (3-3 SAC) on the season.

The scarlet and gray fell in the opener after giving up 10 hits and committing four errors in the field. Newberry took an early 3-0 lead but Lincoln Memorial put up four runs between the fifth and sixth innings to win, 7-4. Amanda Huckestein (Port Charlotte, Fla.) was tagged with the loss and fell to 11-3 on the year. Huckestein surrendered four
runs - two of which were earned - in 3.1 innings.

LMU scored first in the second game but Sara Powell (Ocean View, Del.) cranked a homer in the third inning to put Newberry up, 3-1. The two-run lead was enough for Huckestein to earn the win as she went seven complete innings, surrendering just three hits and striking out seven. Huckestein now stands at 12-3 on the season.

Game One: Newberry 4, Lincoln Memorial 7 -
Box ScoreNewberry scored first in the top of the second inning through two hits and two Railsplitter errors. Courtney Flach (Tampa, Fla.) started the inning off by reaching on a one-out fielding error followed by a Tiffany Pigage (Lexington, S.C.) single through the left side. With runners on first and second, Aissa Gatewood (North Charleston, S.C.) doubled to left center to score the first run of the game. With the bases loaded two batters later, Felicia Taylor (Venice, Fla.) reached on a throwing error which allowed two more runs to cross the plate.

LMU responded in the bottom of the second by putting two runners on base before Brittany Stuive doubled to center field to plate two runs. The Railsplitters tied the game in the next inning with a leadoff solo home run off the bat of Bridget Eicher (Hicksville, Ohio).

The teams stayed even at 3-3 until Felicia Taylor homered to straight away center field to put Newberry back on top, 4-3, in the top of the fourth inning.

Newberry held the lead until LMU sparked a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth inning. After a foul out and a strike out, LMU registered back-to-back singles before Meghan LeFavor (Columbia, Tenn.) sent a two-RBI double to right center and put the Railsplitters up, 5-4.

LMU added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth after a bases-loaded single allowed two unearned runs to cross the plate and make the score 7-4.

Game Two: Newberry 3, Lincoln Memorial 1 - Box Score
The Railsplitters were the first team to score in the second half of the doubleheader. In the bottom of the first inning, Jackie Adams (Columbus, Ohio) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a Newberry throwing error. A sacrifice bunt moved Adams to third and she scored on an RBI single from Devin Sponseller (Delaware, Ohio).

Newberry was still trailing, 1-0, in the third inning when Sara Powell's second home run of the season put Newberry in front. Aissa Gatewood and Jessica Reid (Walhalla, S.C.) had reached base before Powell sent the first pitch of the at bat over the left field fence to put Newberry up, 3-1.

LMU loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning but Huckestein worked her way out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and an inning-ending groundout.

Huckestein retired the final nine batters she faced in order from the fifth inning on to secure the victory for Newberry.

Newberry will break from SAC competition when it returns home to host a doubleheader with Truett-McConnell. Newberry already saw the Bears twice this season and swept the road doubleheader with 8-0 and 9-0 victories.