GREENWOOD - The Lander Softball team continued their hot run of play as they swept the Newberry Wolves on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader at Doug Spears Field.
Taylor Scott (Milledgeville, Ga.) held the Wolves to just five hits in the first game leading to a 5-1 Lander win and the Blue and Gold used two separate five-run innings to pull away for an 11-3 win in six innings in game two.
Lander improves to 7-1 on the season while Newberry drops to 6-4.
Game 1: Lander 5, Newberry 1
The Bearcats struck quickly in game one with a pair of RBI groundouts from Abbie Behe (High Point, N.C.) and Logan Coward (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) to give the Blue and Gold a 2-0 lead after one.
Behe plated another run in the fourth with an RBI single and Gracyn Millsaps (Statesville, N.C.) tacked on a run scoring single of her own to make it 4-0, Bearcats.
After being held scoreless in the fourth, Behe struck once again as she deposited her fourth home run of the season over the left center field fence to make it 5-0.
Newberry got a run back in the seventh with a solo home run but that was all the visitors could muster off of Scott who struck out eight, the most in her career with Lander, and only walked two en route to her third win of the season.
Game 2: Lander 11, Newberry 3 (F/6)
The Bearcats plated five runs in the first inning in a variety of ways. An RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Behe plated Gracie Derrick (Chapin, S.C.) to make it 1-0. Then the reigning PBC Player of the Week, Jordan Sikes (Anson, N.C.), plated a run on an RBI single to double the lead. Behe came around to score on a wild pitch before Naya Jones (Darlington, S.C.) hit an RBI single with the bases loaded and Saje Jones walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-0.
After being named the PBC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Bailey Pattison (Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.) faced one batter over the minimum through three.Â
Lander plated five more runs in the home third. Derrick drove home two with a single,
Saje Jones (Cape Coral, Fla.) scored on a wild pitch, Derrick then came back around to score on an error by Newberry, and
Raquel Camuglia (Spring Hill, Fla.) plated the tenth run with a sacrifice fly.
Pattison would find her first bit of trouble in the fourth as Newberry loaded the bases with one out but a fly ball to Emily Allen (Mount Dora, Fla.) in right field saw the runner at second creep too far off the base and get doubled off to end a potential Wolves rally.
Olivia Veidt (Wilmington, Ohio) came in to try to close it out in the fifth but allowed two runners to score but also got two outs. Pattison came back in to try to end the game in five but a single off the wall allowed Newberry to get the deficit under eight runs and extend the game.
After being held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, Lander got the first two runners on via walk and had them both advance on a wild pitch before Reagan Hill (Canton, Ga.) hit a sac fly to left field to score Samantha Bumgarner (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and secure the six-inning win
Up Next:
Lander will host the Bearcat/Fleet Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Bearcats will face Emory and Henry and Wingate on Friday before facing Young Harris and Limestone on Saturday.
