Milledgeville, Ga. -- The Newberry Softball team opened the season with a pair of wins over Georgia College Sunday, including a 6-4 win in the first game that required extra-innings heroics, while game two was a 11-1 thrashing that ended after six innings.
Game One: Wolves win in extras
It took Newberry until the third inning to record their first hit of the season, with it coming off the bat of
Hailey Hill, who laced a single to right field. She would be stranded at second however as the Wolves went down in order to close the inning. It set the scene for the Wolves to open the scoring in the top of the fourth, when
Sierra Brogdon singled, scoring
Sydney Patterson and moving
Hannah Towery to third. After
Tedi Nunn reached on a fielder's choice,
Reagan Glanz laced a single to center field, bringing in a pair of runs. They would extend their lead in the top of the sixth when Towery ripped her first home run of the season, depositing the ball over the center field fence.Â
After the Bobcats rallied to force extra innings and neither team scored in the eighth, the Wolves struck in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs on two hits while benefiting from one Bobcat error. The first blow came with one out, when
McKenzie Barneycastle hit an infield single, driving in what would end up being the game-winning run.
Mallena Wright would single one batter later to bring in a insurance run, which the Wolves wouldn't end up needing, as they sent the Bobcats down in order in the bottom of the inning.
Game Two: Bats come alive for Newberry
In the second game, the Wolves scored early and often, starting in the second inning when they put up six runs, including a two-RBI double off the bat of
Sydney Patterson, and an RBI single from Barneycastle to make it a 4-0 lead. It would quickly become a 6-0 lead, as Towery doubled into left field, bringing in a pair of runs for the Wolves. The Wolves would tack on a pair of runs in the fifth before striking for three runs in the sixth, including a solo homerun off the bat of
Abigail Valentine, which stretched the lead to 11-1. The Bobcats gave the Wolves a scare, as they were able to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but
Kasey Widmyer recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to end the game.Â
Inside the Boxscore:
- Three Wolves saw time in the pitching circle in the first game, led by Widmyer, who threw three scoreless innings to close out the game, recording five strikeouts. In the second game,
Alexandrea Sullivan threw four innings, allowing a run and recording seven strikeouts to pick up the win. Widmyer threw two scoreless innings to close things out.
Up Next:
The Wolves will host their home opener next weekend, hosting Concord University and the University of Mount Olive. They will face both teams in a doubleheader Saturday and Sunday afternoon.Â
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