NEWBERRY, S.C. -- The Newberry softball team made things close in both of their games against Lincoln Memorial Saturday afternoon, but were unable to pull off the upset, falling 4-3 in the first game and 5-2 in the nightcap. The losses drop the Wolves to to a 10-6 record, with a 3-5 mark in conference games. 

Game One: Railsplitters hold off late Newberry charge
In the first game, it was a slow start for the Wolves, as they fell behind 2-0 heading into their at-bats in the bottom of the third. That was when they started to fight back, starting with a leadoff single from Paige Meyer. The next batter to step into the box was McKenzie Barneycastle, who hit a single to third base, with Meyer advancing to third on a throwing error by the LMU third baseman. Hannah Towery then stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Meyer to scamper across with the first Newberry run of the game.

The Wolves really did their damage in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a pair of runs on three hits. It all started with a one-out single from Kasey Widmyer. She moved to second when Tedi Nunn singled, with both of them advancing a base on a passed ball. Vanessa Wilson then picked up an RBI, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game at two. Newberry would take the lead when Meyer singled up the middle, making it a 3-2 Newberry lead.

LMU re-took the lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run home run, and they would hold onto it, The Wolves did put up a fight in the closing innings, as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth but were unable to capitalize. In the seventh they were retired in order. Meyer finished the game 3-3 at the plate, with a run scored and an RBI. Widmyer also went 3-3, while also throwing a complete-game on the mound, allowing four earned runs on seven hits as she took her second loss of the season.

Game Two: LMU pulls away in seventh
In the nightcap, it was Newberry who drew first blood, as Meyer wasted no time in hitting a leadoff double. She advanced to third when Barneycastle singled before stealing second base. Towery then hit a ground ball to third base that was thrown home to get the out. Simonds then hit a ground ball that turned into an RBI off the fielder's choice, allowing Barneycastle to score and giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

After LMU homered in the top of the second, both pitchers started putting zeroes up on the scoreboard. LMU was able to break through, scoring one run in the fifth. The Wolves again tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, after a leadoff walk to Meyer, Barneycastle reached on a fielder's choice but advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. That allowed Meyer to score the game-tying run. The Railsplitters again pulled away in the seventh, scoring three runs on two hits to take a 5-2 lead. Newberry was unable to respond in the bottom of the seventh, dropping their fifth consecutive game.

Inside the Boxscore

• Barneycastle is leading the team in batting average, batting .444 this season, with a triple and six runs batted in. She is currently the only Wolves player to be batting above .400, though the Wolves do have three players over .300. 
• Towery and Simonds are both fighting for the team lead in home runs, with Towery having hit six this season while SImonds has gone deep five times. Towery has the edge in RBI with 17, while Simonds has 15 RBI. Hailey Hill has 14 RBI this season.

On Deck
The Wolves will take on Lander Tuesday in nonconference action starting at 2 p.m. They will then take on Carson-Newman in a road doubleheader before returning to Newberry to face Mars Hill on March 24.