NEWBERRY, S.C. – After a 10-day layoff, the Millersville softball team took its talents to South Carolina for its annual spring trip. Rain proved to be a factor, delaying the start of game one an hour. The Marauders came out hot after that initial delay but dropped both ends of the twin-bill, 6-5 and 9-2. 
 
GAME ONE:
The Marauders made their presence known early on, as each of their first five batters reached base culminating in a three-run first inning. Kendra Bumgardner and Aleese Angelo led off the game with back to back walks, bringing Gabi Turner to the dish with runners on first and second. She came through with a single that scored Bumgardner. Gabby D'Ottavio followed her up with an RBI single of her own to push the Millersville advantage to two. Sam Fried got on base with a free pass and Taylor Campagna brought home the last Marauder run on a ground ball to the shortstop. 
 
Alex Schaefer got the start in the circle for the Marauders and made that lead stick until the sixth. The senior settled in after allowing hits in the first two innings and stranding them amongst a couple of defensive miscues. After a leadoff single in the second, she went 12 batters without allowing a hit or walk before a leadoff triple in the sixth inning led to Newberry's comeback. 
 
Fried's double with two on in the fifth inning provided an insurance run for the Marauders, moving the score to 4-0. The Wolves struck in the bottom of the sixth, first with a leadoff triple followed by three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out. Schaefer retired the next two batters, but Newberry's two-out double knotted the game at four. Angelina Saverase relieved Schaefer at this point, but her first batter hit a two-run home run and put the Wolves up 6-4. 
 
The Marauders were not done yet, however; Bumgardner led off the top of the seventh with a double and Angelo's single drove her in, cutting the deficit to one. Turner walked to put two runners on with nobody out, but Millersville couldn't get that tying knock and fell 6-5. 

GAME TWO:
The Wolves struck first in game two, plating a run in the bottom of the first inning. The visitors looked to get that run back in the next frame, putting two on to start the inning via a hit by pitch and base on balls. Fried next reached on an error to load the bases, but three straight outs left the visitors empty handed. 
 
Newberry did most of its damage in the bottom of the third, tallying six runs on five hits to blow the game open. The Marauders got their first hit in the fourth inning and scored their two runs in the fifth. Both runs scored due to the efforts of Hailey Watlington, who came up with the bases loaded and two outs and delivered with a single to right field. 
 
GAME NOTES

• The Marauders remain winless all-time against the Wolves, falling to 0-3. The only other contest played between these two programs was a 7-1 Newberry win on Feb. 26, 2022. 
• As mentioned, game one was delayed an hour due to the weather. The game began at 2 p.m. instead of one. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JEN PROBST

• Overall thoughts: "We lost to a good team, but didn't play our best softball on either side of the ball; miscues extended innings for our pitchers."

UP NEXT

• The Marauders will get right back to it tomorrow, March 3 at 1 p.m. at Limestone.