NEWBERRY - The Newberry Wolves' softball team put up a big four-run inning to pick up a win to open the day and earn a split with the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in South Atlantic Conference action at the Smith Road Complex on Tuesday.

Newberry won the opening contest by a 4-3 score before Lenoir-Rhyne captured the second game, 3-1. Newberry's win in the opener tied the school record for home wins in a season at 16, while the loss in the night cap was Newberry's first loss at the Smith Road Complex since an extra-inning defeat on Opening Day.

The split gives Newberry a record of 19-12 overall and 3-1 in the South Atlantic Conference, while Lenoir-Rhyne is now 19-8 overall and 1-3 in the league. Newberry's next action comes at home on Saturday with a 1 p.m. twinbill against league-leading Anderson.

Game One: Newberry 4, Lenoir-Rhyne 3
The Wolves' offense put up four runs in the second inning and the defense worked its way out of a number of jams to pull off the win in the first contest.

With the bases loaded and two out, Gabby Bedard (Winder, Ga.) pulled a bases-clearing triple to the right-center gap to put the Wolves out to a 3-0 lead. She was plated on Jeri Loffler's (Weeki Wachee, Fla.) double in the next at bat for Newberry's four runs.

The Newberry pitching tandem of starter Maude McCourry (Centreville, Md.) and reliever Madison Burnett (Pickens, S.C.) allowed L-R runners to get in scoring position in each of the last six innings, but managed to work out of numerous games with minimal damage.

Of the Bears' 11 hits and four walks, 12 runners were stranded on base with nine of those in scoring position. Christina Walker drove in two runs with a single in the fourth and an Averi Miller sacrifice fly in the fifth. 

McCourry picked up the win to move to 7-1, allowing three runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Burnett picked up her first save of the year, allowing singles to her first three opposition batters before working out of the jame and pitching 2.0 scoreless innings.

Bedard and Loffler picked up Newberry's only extra base hits, while Ashlen Ayres (Kennewick, Wash.), Allison Van Atta (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Casey Nellums (Duluth, Ga.) each hit singles.

Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Newberry 1
After conceding an unearned run in the first inning, the Wolves tied up the game in the fifth, but their five runners stranded in scoring position allowed a two-run homer by Sarah Kenley to push across L-R's game-winning runs.

Burnett scattered five hits in the game, with only the game-winning homer going for extra bases. Kenley went 2-for-3 and drove in all three of L-R's runs.

Strong fielding plays in the infield on both sides snuffed rallies. Newberry scored the tying run in the fifth when Cassie Harrell (Williamston, N.C.) had a bunt misplayed, falling for a safe base hit to score Hailey Drawe (Oceanside, Calif.). A squeeze play resulted in a double play, snuffing the rally, but leaving the contest tied.

With two outs in the sixth, Burnett hit a batter and Kenley blasted the next pitch over the left field fence for an L-R lead. Newberry got a single from Bedard and a two-out double by Van Atta put the tying run in scoring position, but a deep fly was caught and couldn't push across the runs. Newberry went quietly in the seventh, as L-R salvaged the split and picked up its first conference win.

Bedard was 2-for-2 in the contest, while Burnett fell to 9-4 with the tough-luck loss.