NEWBERRY - Strong pitching performances by the Newberry Wolves were key, as the scarlet and gray split Saturday's South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with the Brevard Tornados.

Newberry lost a 2-1 decision opener in a bizarre ninth inning, but came back to earn a 5-1 win in the second contest. Newberry moves to 24-16 overall and 5-9 in the SAC. The Wolves travel to red-hot Wingate on Wednesday.

GAME ONE: Brevard 2, Newberry 1 (9 innings)

• Maude McCourry shut the Tornados out through regulation and struck out 11 batters in 9.0 innings with five hits. She was hit with the tough luck loss to fall to 13-7 on the year.
• Allison Van Atta and Mallory Gerndt each had a pair of hits in the game.

Neither team was able to score in a quick-moving regulation seven innings. The Wolves allowed only one Brevard baserunner to reach second base in the first seven innings.

Newberry stranded a runner on second base in the fifth inning, left runners at the corners in the sixth and left the bases loaded in the seventh.

Brevard scored on a wild pitch in the eighth and the Wolves tied it on a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the frame. A single and error allowed Brevard to score in the top of the ninth.

A bunt single on the opening batter of the bottom of the ninth put runners on the corners before the strange end to the game. A bunt popped up doubled the runner off of first. The runner on third ran home, but was judged to have not tagged up. The Tornados threw back to tag third and put the wraps on the game with the odd bunt triple play.

The game was Newberry's third consecutive extra innings game.

GAME TWO: Newberry 5, Brevard 1

• Hailey Drawe went 2-for-3 with two RBIs as the Wolves responded to the tough loss in the opener.
• Devon Morrison took a no-hitter to late in the sixth inning. She gave up one run on three hits in the complete game, striking out five and walking none.

Morrison cruised through the Brevard lineup with strong defense behind her. The first baserunner for the Tornados came when the leadoff hitter in the fifth reached on an error, but was rolled up in a double play. The first Brevard hit came on a swinging bunt up the first base line with two out in the sixth.

Newberry took the lead in the bottom of the first on Drawe's RBI double to the right-center gap. Lanier Paul pushed the lead to 2-0 with an RBI double to left field with two out in the second. 

Christina Linton hit a double and Drawe drove in a run with a single in Newberry's three-run fifth inning.

A Brevard runner on third in the seventh would score as the Wolves turned a double play, but a quick gorundout ended the game and gave the Wolves the win.