Mars Hill felled by Newberry in SAC series
The Mars Hill softball team (21-14, 5-7 SAC) was swept on the road Saturday afternoon by Newberry (26-12, 8-6 SAC), dropping game one by a score of 11-8 and game two, 7-5.
NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Mars Hill softball team (21-14, 5-7 SAC) was swept on the road Saturday afternoon by Newberry (26-12, 8-6 SAC), dropping game one by a score of 11-8 and game two, 7-5.
GAME ONE: NBY 11, MHU 8
Newberry used back-to-back four-run innings to lead them to an 11-8 victory over Mars Hill in game one.
Leading 3-1 entering the bottom of the third, the Wolves extended their lead to six. Following Natalie Willis' RBI triple to right field, Haley Simonds two-run home run put Newberry up 6-1. Later in the inning, Ashley Willis' RBI groundout capped off the inning.
Hannah Smith's RBI single in the top of the fourth cut the deficit back down to five runs, but Hannah Davis' grand slam in the bottom of the frame boosted the Wolves' lead to nine.
The Lions began to claw back into the contest in the top of the fifth. After scoring a run off of a wild pitch and with the bases loaded, Krista Romine drew a walk to plate Danielle Harris. Christiana Marasa's two-run double in the top of the sixth plated Taylor Nilsson and Maggie Langheim to pull within five.
Singles from Addison Harris and Romine drove in another two runs for Mars Hill as the they closed out the sixth down by three.
The Wolves took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning off of Simonds' first home run of the game. A RBI groundout in the second from Ashley Willis put the Wolves up 3-0.
Harris' RBI single in the third plate the first Lions' run of the day as Ashley Evans crossed home.
Davis led all players with four RBI and three runs scored. Nilsson led the Lions with two hits.
Alyssa Ball earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits in four innings pitched. Casey Stanek suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on seven hits in two innings.
GAME TWO: NBY 7, MHU 5
Hannah Davis' third home run on the day proved to be the game-winning hit for the Wolves as they picked up the 7-5 win over Mars Hill to earn the sweep.
In the bottom of the sixth, with two outs, Davis launched a shot over the center field wall for her third two-run home run on the day to give the Wolves a late game lead.
Davis opened the scoring in the first with a two-run single through the left side. A bases loaded walk from Reagan Glanz extended the lead to three while a fielder's choice plated another run for the Wolves. A second bases loaded walk capped off a five-run first inning for Newberry.
Ragan Broome's two-run home run in the top of the fourth began the Lions' comeback bid. Mars Hill knotted the game at five in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs. With the bases loaded, Jordan Harris reached on a fielder's choice allowing Christiana Marasa to score. Back-to-back RBI singles from Krista Romine and Ashley Evans tied the game at five entering the bottom half of the frame.
Once again, Davis led all players with four RBI and three hits. Broome led the Lions with two RBI while Marasa had a team-high two hits.
The Lions wrap up their road trip with a doubleheader versus Anderson on Tuesday, April 9th. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
