WINGATE, N.C. – Despite jumping out to a 3-run first inning lead, the No. 4 seeded Newberry College softball team (28-18, 14-10 South Atlantic Conference) fell to the No. 5 seeded Carson-Newman Eagles (29-14, 13-11 SAC) 11-5 in the teams' eight-inning opening-round matchup of the South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship.

Junior pitcher Alexandrea Sullivan (Campobello, S.C.) received the loss in the matchup. Four Wolves each tallied an RBI.

After a 1-2-3 first inning from starting pitcher Olivia Chestnut (Mount Dora, Fla.), the Wolves tallied the first run of the game as sophomore catcher Mackenzie Turner (Jefferson, Ga.) sent a single down the left field line. After a rain delay, the Wolves added two more runs as a throwing error on a ball hit by junior third baseman Hailey Hill (Summerville, S.C.) allowed the runs to cross home plate. At the end of the first, the Wolves had sent all nine batters to the plate.

The Eagles scratched across 1 run in both the second and third innings to cut the lead to 3-2.

After a lead-off double in the fifth inning, junior first baseman Sierra Brogdon (Leesburg, Ga.) brought the runner around with an RBI single. Despite getting more runners on base in the inning, the Wolves had to settle for the one run.

But the new lead did not hold long as the Eagles hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the sixth inning.

The game remained tied as each team scored a run in the seventh inning.

But the eighth inning is where the Eagles took their largest lead of the game. They plated 6 runs in the inning including a grand slam and a solo home run back-to-back and took the game 11-5.

Due to the weather and delay of the Eagles' and Wolves' game on Thursday, the game between No. 1 seeded Wingate and No. 8 seeded Anderson was not played. Therefore, that game will be played at 10 A.M. on Friday, April 28. The Wolves will face the loser of the 10 A.M. game at 3 P.M.