Related: 11-Run Outburst Powers Softball Split With Georgia Southwestern
NEWBERRY, S.C. – The top offense in the Peach Belt Conference was shutout twice Wednesday afternoon, as the UNC Pembroke softball team dropped a pair of road, non-conference contests to Newberry, 1-0 and 3-0 at the Smith Road Complex.
The Braves fall to 14-12-1 after suffering their first sweep of the season and have now dropped three straight for the first time since early February. Newberry improves to 19-7 and are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, dating back to March 2.
The Black & Gold tallied just nine total hits over the course of the twinbill after racking up nine or more hits in 18 of the first 26 games.
In game one, the Braves were held scoreless for the first time this season, registering a season-low four hits. The lone Newberry tally came in the bottom of the fifth when Natalie Willis reached on a bunt single, stole second and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Nicolette Myers.
UNCP left six runners on base, including two in scoring position in both the first and fourth innings.
Peach Belt Conference player of the week Jamie Johnson was 2-for-3, extending her hitting streak to nine and on-base streak to 24 in the process. It's her 11th multi-hit game of the season. Whitney Jackson and Toni Nelson each had one base knock.
Senior Katie Saunders (9-7) was handed the tough-luck loss, tossing all six innings and allowing just the one run. It was her 11th complete game of the season in 13 starts and her team-low ERA fell to 3.14.
The Newberry pitchers didn't miss a beat in game two, handing UNCP its second shutout of the season on five hits. The Wolves took the lead with two unearned runs in the second and added another tally in the fourth on a solo home run to left.
No UNCP player notched multiple hits, as Jackson, Nelson, Abbey Walters, Taylor Gerhart and Lexie Coxe all had one apiece to make up the team's five knocks. Nelson has now reached base in 11-consecutive contests.
Freshman Taylor Strickland (2-3) got her first start since March 4, allowing just one earned run in the complete-game loss. She struck out three Wolves and walked three, seeing her ERA drop to 3.86.
The Braves will get back to work in PBC action Saturday with a trip to Dahlonega, Georgia for a 2 p.m. DH against defending national champion and No. 11 North Georgia at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium. The Nighthawks (28-5, 6-0 PBC) lead the all-time series with UNCP 19-3 and took both contests last season in Pembroke, 8-3 and 5-2.
