NEWBERRY, S.C. -- It took a sixth-inning rally, but the Newberry softball team scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to hand no. 1 North Georgia their first loss of the season 2-1 Wednesday afternoon. The Nighthawks won the first game 12-1 behind 12 hits and a six-run third inning. The doubleheader split gives the Wolves a record of 15-8 this season.
Game One: North Georgia puts up 12 runs
The first game of the doubleheader didn't go the way that Newberry was hoping, as they fell 12-1. The lone run for Newberry came in the bottom of the second when
Tedi Nunn hit a bases-loaded single into left field to score
Haley Simonds, who had started the inning with a single into left field. Simonds moved to second when
Hannah Towery hit a single to left field of her own, with both of them moving up when
Kasey Widmyer drew a walk. The inning came to a sudden end when the Nighthawks turned a double play, escaping with just the one run allowed.
In the top of the third, North Georgia's offense woke up, as they scored six runs on four hits to jump into the lead. They would score a run in the fourth and fifth innings before scoring four times in the top of the seventh.
Brittany Crowson came on in the top of the seventh in relief and threw one inning, allowing one earned run on two hits. The loss was given to
Alexandrea Sullivan, who threw two and one-third of an inning before giving way to
Alyssa Ball, who threw three and two-thirds of an inning.
Reagan Glanz led the Newberry offense, going 2-3 in the game. Nunn finished the game 1-3, with ine RBI.
McKenzie Barneycastle, Simonds and Towery also had hits for the Wolves.
Game Two: Wolves rally in sixth to upset Nighthawks
The second game was a pitcher's duel, as both pitchers were dealing.
Kasey Widmyer got the start for Newberry and shut down the Nighthawks' offense, despite allowing a run in the top of the first. It took the Wolves offense a while to get going, as they didn't record their first hit until the bottom of the third when Nunn led off with a sharp single into left field. It wasn't until the sixth inning that Newberry pushed across their runs, though when the dust settled they had scored a pair of runs. The inning started with Nunn again singled into left field, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Peyton Meyer. Glanz then stepped up to the plate and hit a short fly ball down the right field line that found a hole and resulted in an RBI triple, tying the game at one.
After the Nighthawks recorded a strikeout, Barneycastle hit a ground ball to the pitcher that looked like it would be the third out of the inning, but the throw to first base popped out of the glove, allowing Glanz to score what would end up being the go-ahead run for Newberry. North Georgia would record a strikeout to finally end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Widmyer recorded the first out on a line drive to right field and the second out came on a flyout to center field. Widmyer jumped ahead of the final batter 0-2 before delivering the final strike, sending all of the Wolves out of the dugout to celebrate the upset.
Inside the Boxscore
- This was the second complete-game of the season for Widmyer, who has thrown 41 and one-third of an inning this season, After claiming the win in the second game she is now 5-3 on the season, with an ERA of 2.88. She struck out four batters in the second game, giving her 37 this season.
- Towery is now the team leader in batting average, hitting .418 this season along with a team-leading nine home runs and 22 RBI. Barneycastle is batting .410 this season, with seven RBI and a pair of doubles, along with one of only two triples for Newberry this season.
- This was Newberry's first win over a ranked opponent in two years. The last time it happened was March 30, 2019 when they picked up a 7-6 win over a Lincoln Memorial team that was ranked 16th in the nation.
Up Next
The Wolves will have a pair of road doubleheaders this weekend, starting Friday when they take on Catawba at 2 p.m. They will wrap up the weekend on April 7 when they travel to take on Coker.
