PEMBROKE – Sophomore Brea Hartley drilled a three-run homer over the left center fence to notch insurance runs in the third inning for the UNCP softball team that supplied the lead for the 8-3 upset victory on Saturday in the first game of the UNCP Invitational.

The Lady Braves (4-5) snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with Kutztown (3-1) and beat a top-5 nationally-ranked team for the first time since 2008 when the squad won the Peach Belt Conference Tournament and advanced to regionals.

UNCP out-hit the Golden Bears 10-7 despite committing one additional error.  Juniors Shelby Holland and Taylor Cloninger each had two hits, while CLoninger chipped in one run and two RBI. Hartley led the team with three RBI, while senior Holly Berry had two runs. Danielle Miller led the Golden Bears with two hits, as five others notched one hit apiece.

Junior Natalie Klemann (2-1) relieved senior Starr Gilley for 3-2/3 innings and held the Golden Bears hitless as she struck out three and walked one. Gilley began the first 3-1/3 inning and allowed three earned runs on seven hits with two strike outs. 

Kutztown's Donimique Ficara (1-1) began the first two innings and allowed five earned runs on six hits, before being relieved by Mary Kociencki. Kociencki allowed the final three runs (two earned) on four hits.

UNCP's biggest inning came in the third with Berry reaching on a hit-by-pitch, tagging second on a single through the left side by Holland and scoring on Karlee Wilson's single along the left field line. Hartley delivered the long home run over the fence to bring Holland, Karlee Wilson and herself home.

Berry began the contest as the first batter to reach base on a double up the middle and was quickly and efficiently sent home on a double to right field by Holland to give UNCP its first run of the game in the first inning. Again in the second inning, Sequoia Barrett opted for a fielder's choice to reach first, moved to second on a base hit by Schanique Barrett, before Cloninger tripled to centerfield to score the two runs.

With UNCP leading by three runs, Kutztown used the third inning to attempt a comeback with two batters reaching first on a single and double, before being scored on the double and an error on the second baseman. Another run for the Golden Bears came in the fourth inning as Brianna Knipe singled to reach base and scored on a double along the left field line.

The Black and Gold added an additional run in the seventh as Cloninger singled along the left field line to sit at first and scored on a fielding error by the second baseman to end the contest with a five run lead.