NEWBERRY - The Newberry College softball team will have two chances this weekend to respond to Tuesday’s sweep. The Wolves hit the road against North Greenville on Saturday before coming home for a Sunday twinbill against Claflin.
NORTH GREENVILLE DOUBLEHEADER
WHO: Newberry College at North Greenville University
WHERE: Tigerville, S.C. - Pepsi Softball Stadium on the North Greenville campus
DATE: Saturday, February 14
TIME: The first game of the doubleheader will start at 1 p.m., with the second game starting 20 minutes following its completion.
RECORDS: Newberry comes in to the doubleheader with a 3-3 record. North Greenville is 1-5.
LIVE STATS: http://ngcrusaders.athleticsite.net/livestats/sb/xlive.htm
FORECAST: Partly cloudy with a high of 56 degrees. 20 percent chance of precipitation.
CLAFLIN DOUBLEHEADER
WHO: Claflin University at Newberry College
WHERE: Newberry’s Smith Road Complex Softball Stadium
DATE: Sunday, February 15
TIME: The first game of the doubleheader will start at 1 p.m., with the second game starting 20 minutes following its completion.
RECORDS: Newberry enters the weekend at 3-3. Claflin is 4-0.
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.NewberryWolves.tv
LIVE STATS: http://www.NewberryStats.com
FORECAST: Bring your blankets. The forecast is partly cloudy with a high of 37 degrees.
LOOKING AT THE WOLVES
The Wolves are coming off of a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the GRU Augusta Jaguars. Newberry was able to get on base but stranded 17 runners on base in the two losses.
Newberry will also need to avoid conceding the big innings this weekend. GRU scored more than three runs in three separate innings Tuesday, stealing the lead from Newberry in both games. The Wolves have held the lead in five of the six games so far this season.
Jeri Loffler (Weekie Wachee, Fla.) has been the Wolves’ leader at the plate, hitting .500 so far with a team-high five RBIs. Mallory Gerndt (Burke, Va.) has a team-high nine hits and is hitting .450 with a .476 on-base percentage.
The margin between the Wolves and their opponents in the field has already been sizeable, as Newberry has committed only nine errors (.954 fielding percentage) to their opposition’s 17 errors (.901 fielding percentage).
In the circle, Madison Burnett (Pickens, S.C.) will be back this weekend, allowing the Wolves to return to their normal pitching rhythm. She is 2-0 with two complete games and a 1.50 ERA. Brittany Middleton (Lizella, Ga.) leads the team in innings pitched at 14.1 with a 5.86 ERA.
LOOKING AT THE CRUSADERS
North Greenville split with Chowan on its opening day, but is on a five game losing streak. Four of those have come to South Atlantic Conference opposition, as the Crusaders have been swept by Tusculum and Anderson in their last two doubleheaders.
NGU has experimented with multiple lineups early in the season. Two players are hitting over .500 in Christie Reilly and Haley Gray, but no player has more than five hits or three RBIs in the early going. 16 players have recorded multiple at bats in the first three doubleheaders.
In the circle, senior Cassi Carpenter has handled the majority of the Crusaders’ workload with four starts and 21.2 innings pitched, with a 1-3 record and 3.55 ERA. She has 17 strikeouts and has walked 12.
The Wolves and Crusaders already share a common opponent, as Newberry swept Chowan and North Greenville split with the Hawks.
LOOKING AT THE PANTHERETTES
Claflin hosted the Hampton Jordan Classic in Orangeburg last weekend and won all four games against Edward Waters, Concordia (Ala.), Virginia Union and Virginia State.
Nyesha Arnold has been a leader for the team, picking up the win in the circle in all four games with only two earned runs allowed in 17.2 innings for an 0.79 ERA. She also is hitting .400.
Courtney Burns is hitting .538 with five homers and 16 RBIs and is one of five Pantherettes hitting over .300. Elexica Simmons is hitting .714 and Chelsea Hall is hitting .556.
