The Tusculum College softball team opened its South Atlantic Conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Newberry College on Friday afternoon at Red Edmonds Field. The Pioneers won the opener 7-1 behind a three-hitter from Elizabeth Johnson, and took game two 4-1 as Kelly King worked out of trouble in the sixth and seventh innings to finish off the sweep.

The Pioneers (8-11, 2-0 SAC) will be on the road next week for six games at the National Collegiate Sports Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C. beginning Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. against Concord University. The Wolves (10-8, 0-2 SAC) head up the road to take on King in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

Game 1: Tusculum 7, Newberry 1
(Box Score)

The Pioneers scored four runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead, and Johnson carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a leadoff double to Paige Brugh.

Tusculum finished with 10 hits in the game, including two apiece from Nicole Ball, Katie Brennan and Lindsey Umberger. Ball had three runs batted in and Brennan and Umberger each scored a run and drove in another for the Pioneers.

Johnson (3-7) tossed her fourth complete game of the season for the Pioneers, striking out four and walking one. Two of the three hits for the Wolves were on back-to-back bunt hits in the sixth after Brugh's leadoff double.

The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the second off Wolves starter Shelley Jeffcoat (6-2) as Brennan led off with a bloop single and moved up on a bunt single by Paige Sneed. After Umberger sacrificed the runners into scoring position, Ball delivered an RBI single to drive home Brennan with the game's first run.

Tusculum took control with four runs in the third off Jeffcoat. Carolyn Williamson led off with a single, and Alix Kruel was safe on an error on a bunt attempt. Following a double steal, Kaytlin Stroinski drove a double to left-center to knock home both runners for a 3-0 Pioneer lead.

Umberger drew a two-out walk after fouling off three two-strike pitches, and Ball came through again with a triple to right-center that brought home Stroinski and Umberger for a 5-0 Tusculum lead.

The Pioneers tacked on a run in the fourth off reliever Hannah Blakely as Williamson drew a leadoff walk and Kruel reached on another error. After an out, Brennan bounced a single into left field that drove home Williamson for a 6-0 Tusculum lead.

Newberry scored its only run of the game in the sixth on a bunt single by Katie Capobianco, and Tusculum closed out the scoring in the bottom of the inning when Sneed reached on a two-out error and scored on a triple to center by Umberger.

Williamson singled, walked and scored twice out of the leadoff spot for the Pioneers, who had all nine starters reach base via hit or walk.

Jeffcoat allowed six hits and five runs (two earned) in three innings for Newberry, striking out four and walking two. Blakely tossed the final three innings in relief for the Wolves, giving up four hits and two runs (one earned) while issuing a pair of bases on balls.

Game 2: Tusculum 4, Newberry 1
(Box Score)

Umberger delivered a two-run double in the third inning to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead, and King escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and retired the tying run on a ground ball in the seventh to preserve the victory for the Pioneers.

Just as in game one, Tusculum opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Newberry starter Kaylyn Camacho walked Sneed to lead off the inning, and an Umberger sacrifice moved Sneed to second. After a ground out, Leah Powell lined a double to right field to bring home Sneed for a 1-0 Pioneer lead.

In the third, the Pioneers scored two unearned runs to go on top 3-0. Kruel led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice by Stroinski and took third when a fly ball by Brennan was dropped for an error. With two outs, Umberger doubled into the left-field corner to knock in Kruel and Brennan.

The Wolves got a run in the fourth as Brugh led off with an infield single and scored on a double by Gwenell Crawford to cut the Pioneer lead to 3-1. Newberry threatened again in the sixth as the Wolves loaded the bases on a single, an error and an infield.single. However, King got a strikeout to strand all three runners and keep Tusculum ahead 3-1.

The Pioneers added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Sneed led off with a double to center field, and pinch-runner Miranda Beeler scored on a single to left by Ball that gave Tusculum a 4-1 lead.

Newberry mounted one last rally in the seventh as a single and an error brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. King escaped trouble and finished off the doubleheader sweep by inducing a grounder to Ball at third for the final out.

King (5-4) gave up seven hits and struck out four in the win for the Pioneers, while Camacho (4-5) allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits and struck out six. Samantha Silver was the only player on either team with more than one hit, as she finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.