NEWBERRY, S.C. – After narrowly falling to the No. 21 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (31-9, 13-7 SAC) in game one of their Saturday doubleheader 10-8, the Newberry College Softball team (26-16, 12-9 South Atlantic Conference) took game two of their senior–day doubleheader 5-4 in 8 innings.

Sophomore starting pitcher Lindsey Foster (Griffin, Ga.) received the loss in game for 4 2/3 innings pitched. She allowed 8 runs in the game. Four Wolves evenly split the team's 8 RBIs with 2 each. Junior pitcher Olivia Chestnut earned the win as she threw her sixth consecutive complete game of the season. She allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and struck out 13 batters, one strike out shy of her season high. Junior right fielder Vanessa Wilson (Loganville, Ga.) hit the game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning.

Game one:
After the first two batters of the game reached on errors by the Bears, both runners scored when sophomore designated player Mackenzie Turner (Jefferson, Ga.) hit a two-out two-RBI single into left center field.

The Bears tied the game in the top of the second and took the lead in the top of the third but the Wolves evened the game once again on a sacrifice fly from junior first baseman Sierra Brogdon (Leesburg, Ga.).

Lenoir-Rhyne immediately answered with 6 runs over the next 2 innings. Brogdon added another RBI in the bottom of the fifth with a run-scoring ground out to third base. Wilson cut the Bears' lead to 9-6 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run.

But a two-out RBI single once again grew the Lenoir-Rhyne lead to 4 runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Wolves did not go down without a fight as junior third baseman Hailey Hill (Summerville, S.C.) hit a two-out 2-RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning. But the Bears immediately recorded the final out as the Wolves fell 10-8.

Game two:
Fueled by a close game one defeat, the Wolves came out hot in the second game. Freshman designated player Molly Mattas hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning and Turner hit an RBI double, both with two outs, to give the Wolves an early 2-0 advantage.

Chestnut was lights out as struck out 8 batters in the first 5 innings of the contest.

The Wolves doubled their lead in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out 2-RBI single from sophomore second baseman Mady Brown (Winston-Salem, N.C.).

But the Bears did not go gently into defeat as they plated one run in the sixth inning and three in the seventh to tie the game 4-4 and push the game into extra innings. The single run given up in the sixth inning was the first run given up by Chestnut since the seventh inning of her March 29 start against Mars Hill. 

After holding off the runner placed on second base for the start of the eighth inning, Wilson hit a two-out single in front of the Bears' right fielder, securing the 5-4 victory over the No. 21 Bears.

The Wolves wrap up the regular season next Saturday, April 22 as they head to Greeneville, Tennessee for a doubleheader with the Tusculum Pioneers. First pitch is scheduled for 2 P.M.