NEWBERRY - The Wolves softball team opened the 2014 season with a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Lees-McRae Bobcats, while outscoring the visitors 21-3 on the afternoon.

Newberry hammered five home runs on the day against Lees-McRae, with sophomore Darrian Jamison (Versailles, Ky.) and freshman Hailey Drawe (Oceanside, Calif.) contributing two each, while senior Danielle Basch (Muskegon, Mich.) hammered a two-run bomb to center field.

In the circle, junior Madison Burnett (Pickens, S.C.) and junior Brittany Middleton (Lizella, Ga.) picked up victories in the Newberry debuts.

Newberry opens the season 2-0, while the Bobcats fall to 0-2. Newberry returns to home action on Wednesday at 1 p.m. as the Wolves host Georgia Regents Augusta.

Game One: Newberry 11, Lees-McRae 1
[Box Score]

Newberry cruised to victory in five innings over the Bobcats in the season opener with junior Ashlen Ayres (Kennewick, Wash.) leading the Wolves with a 3-3 outing at the plate.

In a bizarre first inning, the Bobcats saw their first runner reach base with one out on a fielding error. Lees-McRae's Lori Fulmer advanced to second on an illegal pitch, before immediately reaching third on the same call from the home plate umpire. With a 3-1 count from Newberry sophomore Hannah Blakely (Manning, S.C.), Sadie Lagle drew a walk on a wild pitch that saw Fulmer score the first run of the day. After a third illegal pitch, Newberry sent Burnett to the circle. Burnett's first two batters showed set the tone for the day she would have as she struck out both on 3-2 counts.

The Wolves opened up 2014 with a seven run inning, which began as Ayres singled up the middle. Basch was hit by a pitch, placing runners on first and second before a wild pitch advanced both runners. A RBI ground out by junior Gabby Bedard (Winder, Ga.) put Newberry on the board, before Jamison reached on a hit by pitch. After a pop up by freshman Mallory Gerndt (Burke, Va.), Drawe plated two runs with a single to left, before scampering to second on the throw to the plate.

Freshman Madison Tepfenhart (York, S.C.) doubled to right center on a full count to score Drawe, before advancing to third on a single by senior Paige Brugh (Indian Land, S.C.). After Brugh stole second, senior Katie Capobianco (Coconut Creek, Fla.) scored Tepfenhart on an infield single. An RBI single to shortstop by Ayres put runners on the corners as Capobianco reached third on the play. Ayres stole second, allowing Capobianco to score on the throw for the final run of the inning as Newberry returned to defense with a 7-1 lead.

The next run would not cross the plate until the third inning when Tepfenhart drew a one-out walk. Sophomore Katelyn Rearden (Trenton, S.C.) pinch ran for the Wolves' designated player and promptly stole second base. Rearden showed why she was a smart choice as a pinch runner as she scored from second on a fly ball to center field from Brugh.

Newberry pushed the lead to 11-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Ayres reached first on an infield single and hustled to second on a throwing error. After Ayres stole third, Basch reached on a fielding error and stole second soon after. With one out and runners on second and third, Jamison hammered a home run off the left field foul pole plating three runs in the process.

The inning closed on the Newberry offense, before Burnett gave up a leadoff single to open the top of the fifth. Burnett put the game on ice quickly after the opening single as she struck out the next three hitters she faced.

Burnett finished her Newberry debut with 10 strikeouts, as she sat down all but six batters faced on her own.

Game Two: Newberry 10, Lees-McRae 2
[Box Score]

A three home run inning headlined game two for the Wolves, but it was Drawe's pair of bombs that put a true mark on the opening day of the 2014 season for the Wolves.

Ayres again opened the bottom of the first off with a single for Newberry, before advancing to second on a throwing error. After a groundout by Basch, Bedard tripled to center field to score Ayres. A strikeout and ground out ended the inning for Newberry as Bedard was stranded at third.

The third inning proved a firework show for the Wolves as Basch homered to dead center with one out and Ayres aboard. Bedard followed Basch's two-run homer with a bunt single and a stolen base, before jogging home on Jamison's second home run of the afternoon. Four pitches after Jamison's homer, Drawe notched the first home run of her collegiate career to help Newberry post a five run inning.
Lees-McRae would not be shutout as the Bobcats notched runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Needing four runs in the bottom of the fifth to secure back-to-back fiving inning victories the Wolves saw one run quickly come off the board as Drawe led off the fifth with a solo home run to left center. Junior Cassie Harrell (Williamston, N.C.) singled to left and advanced to second on an error, while Tepfenhart reached on a fielder's choice. A double steal with one out placed runners on second and third, before Capobianco pinch ran for Tepfenhart. A pinch hit single to right by Gerndt plated Harrell, while Capobianco scored on a single by Ayres. Gerndt reached third and hustled to the plate on a single by Basch, which saw Gerndt cross the plate safely on a throwing error on the play to put Newberry ahead by eight to secure a five inning win.

Middleton picked up a pair of strikeouts in her Newberry pitching debut.