LAURINBURG – Using sophomore Brea Hartley's single to right field, the UNCP Softball team scored the winning run as senior Holly Berry cross home plate in the first inning to sweep the series with St. Andrews, 6-2, on Wednesday afternoon. 

Berry led the way for UNCP (7-10) as she reached base at every at-bat including two singles, a double and an error by the center fielder and finished the game with two runs and two RBI. Hartley added two RBI and went 2-for-2 with two singles. Junior Taylor Cloninger was 2-for-3 and chipped in two runs and an RBI.

UNCP out-hit St. Andrews (4-8) by five hits as the Knights had seven hits from six different athletes. Jenn George was 2-for-2 with a double and single to score one of the two runs.

Junior Katy Austin (2-1) clinched her second win of the day as she completed five innings in the circle, while Jessica Wiegers (1-1) gave up 11 hits and six runs (five earned) in her 5-2/3 innings of work for St. Andrews. Austin allowed six of the seven hits and one earned run, before senior Starr Gilley stepped in for the final two innings.

The Lady Braves used three singles in a row to start the first inning with Cloninger singling through the left side to reach first. Kaytee Wilson used a single to right field to score Cloninger and Berry's single to centerfield scored Kaytee Wilson. Hartley added a single to right field to score Berry and put the Lady Braves ahead by three runs.

St. Andrews registered its first run in the fourth inning, but the Black and Gold extended in the lead with one run in the fifth as Berry reached on an error and scored on Hartley's single through the right side. Again in the sixth, UNCP put another two runs on the board as freshman Caitlin Steel singled up the middle and scored on Cloninger's shot up the middle who then scored on Berry's double to center field.

The Knights were unable to catch UNCP despite notching another run in the seventh inning.

The Black and Gold will be in back in action again as UNCP travels to Murfreesboro on Saturday to take on Chowan (2-8) in a 12 p.m. doubleheader.