SOFTBALL NEWS

LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

Office of Sports Information

Sports Release                                                                  February 10, 2007

Lady Railsplitters Sweep Newberry

NEWBERRY, SC - The Newberry College softball team was done in by big Lincoln Memorial innings, as the Lady Indians dropped both games of Saturday's home opener twinbill. Newberry drops to 1-4-1 on the season, while LMU moves to 2-2.

Game One: Lincoln Memorial 6, Newberry 4
LMU's Tiffany Evans hit a two-run homerun in the top of the first inning, while Devin Sponseller hit a solo shot in the fifth to help lead the Lady Railsplitters to their first win of the year.

Kristen Hicks (0-1, Bamberg, S.C.) picked up the loss in her first start as a Lady Indian, giving up five runs on four hits in three innings pitched, striking out two. Brittney Walker gave up nine hits, but only allowed four runs to pick up the win for LMU.

After the Lady Railsplitters opened with a three-run first, the Lady Indians scored two runs on an RBI single by Christina Kirby (Delmar, Del.), with Kat Hammond (Irmo, S.C.) scoring on an error two batters later to make the score 3-2.

Lincoln Memorial continued their onslaught in the second inning with a Walker RBI single and a run scored on an error for a 5-2 lead after an inning and a half.

Newberry attempted to rally in the third, with Ginna Dean (Willow Springs, N.C.) scoring on a sacrifice fly by Sara Powell (Ocean View, Del.). Courtney Lindler (Irmo, S.C.) singled in the Lady Indians' final run in the fourth.

Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 7, Newberry 3
The Lady Railsplitters plated the first four batters of the game, including two on a home run by winning pitcher Sarah Henn, and held the Lady Indians scorelss until the bottom of the seventh to seal the doubleheader sweep.

Stephanie Monette (0-2, Conway, S.C.) allowed four runs, all earned, in the first two innings to pick up the loss. Kirby allowed three runs in five innings of relief.

Allison Porter (1, Chapin, S.C.) broke Newberry's scoring drought in the bottom of the seventh with a pinch hit homerun. After Jenny Raines (Blythewood, S.C) led off the frame with a walk, Porter blasted her first career homer to left-centerfield to score Newberry's first runs. Dean would later plate Tiffany Pigage (Lexington, S.C.) on a sacrifice hit, but it was too little too late for Newberry.

The Lady Indians will look to rebound from their recent slump on Monday in Hartsville, S.C., taking on Coker College in a doubleheader slated to begin at 2 p.m.

-LMU-

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Head Coach:  Dan Burns

Phone:  (423) 869-6242