NEWBERRY - The Newberry College softball team came used a big inning late in the first game of the day to kickstart another home non-conference doubleheader sweep Thursday, this time taking two from Belmont Abbey by scores of 8-6 and 5-3.

With the win, Newberry closes out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 16-11 overall record. The Wolves open up the South Atlantic Conference schedule vs. Brevard at 1 p.m. Sunday in Newberry, although the Tornado will be the designated home team since the game was moved from Western North Carolina.

Game One: Newberry 8, Belmont Abbey 6
The Wolves broke open a tie game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth as the scarlet and gray smashed 15 base hits in the opening win.

Belmont Abbey took a 2-0 lead in the third with a two run homer, but Maude McCourry (Centreville, Md.) cut the lead in half with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the frame. Ashlen Ayres (Kennewick, Wash.) pulled a two-run single through the right side in the bottom of the fourth to give Newberry a slim 3-2 lead, but a two-out rally by BAC in the top of the fifth tied it back up at 3-all.

Newberry put up a five-spot in the fifth, with Nicolette Myers (Seminole, Fla.) driving in a run with a single, Casey Nellums (Duluth, Ga.) smoking a two-run double to the left-center gap and back-to-back RBI singles from Gabby Bedard (Winder, Ga.) and Jeri Loffler (Weeki Wachee, Fla.).

Belmont Abbey tried to scrap back with three runs in the sixth, but Brittany Middleton (Lizella, Ga.) sat the Crusaders down in order in the seventh to close out the win.

Madison Burnett (Pickens, S.C.) moved to 8-3 on the season with the win in the circle, allowing three runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings with four strikeouts and a walk.

Ayres and Myers led Newberry with three hits apiece, with Bedard, McCourry, Mallory Gerndt (Burke, Va.) and Nellums each earning a pair of base hits.

Game Two: Newberry 5, Belmont Abbey 3
McCourry unleashed a strong performance in the circle and a big offensive inning to push the Wolves to the sweep.

McCourry allowed just one baserunner in the opening six innings of the contest and carried a no-hitter into the seventh. The Wolves put up their second five-run inning of the day in the second inning, thanks to a pair of Belmont Abbey errors and a big Nellums two-run homer.

Allison Van Atta (Tallahassee, Fla.) roped out three base hits, while Ayres had two hits.

McCourry moved to 5-1 on the season with three runs allowed on four hits in the seventh inning, retiring 13 batters consecutively at one point.