WICHITA - The Newman softball team picked up its first doubleheader sweep of the season, picking up a pair of wins over Texas-Permian Basin Friday afternoon at Newman Softball Field in Wichita. Newman won the opener with a 9-7 decision before concluding the sweep with a 11-3 run-rule win in the second game.

Game 1: Newman 9, UTPB 7
Texas-Permian Basin (13-21, 1-6 Heartland) made the first move in Friday's opener. The Falcons notched a run in the first inning, and added two more in the third to take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning.

Newman (3-20, 1-8 Heartland) answered with a run in the third when Katie Traffas, who opened the inning with a single through the left side, scored off an Emili Zimmerman sacrifice fly to left. The Jets added another run in the fourth when Tracey Stefanski doubled to center, then scored on a Traffas single. After four, the Jets had trimmed the UTPB lead to 3-2.

The visiting Falcons added a run in the fifth, but the Jets stole the momentum with a four-run sixth inning. Lauren Rorebeck opened the inning with a home run to left-center. Brianna Hallacy followed with a double down the right field line. A Traffas walk followed by a Sarah Stutts single to left loaded the bases for Steph Harshberger, who doubled down the right field line to plate three runs. After five innings, Newman held a 6-4 lead.

UTPB was up to the challenge yet again, plating three more runs to take a 7-6 lead into Newman's final at-bat, but the Jets weren't phased. Erin Monday opened the inning with a single up the middle, then moved to second on a Stefanski ground-out to second. A Rorebeck single through the left side moved Monday to third before a Hallacy fielder's choice pushed Monday home to tie the game. With the game tied at 7-7, Traffas sent a pitch over the left-field fence for the game-winning home run to give the Jets a 9-7 win, their first Heartland Conference victory of the season.

Traffas finished 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBI. Sarah Fipps earned her first win of the season, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in a complete-game seven-inning effort.

Game 2: Newman 11, UTPB 3 (5 Innings)
A seven-run first inning set the tone early in Friday's second game. The Jets scored early and often on their way to an 11-3 run-rule victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.

After spotting Texas-Permian Basin (13-22, 1-7 Heartland) a run in the first inning, Newman (4-20, 2-8 Heartland) exploded with a barrage of runs to take complete control of the game. Emily Zimmerman opened the game with a single to center, then stole second before advancing to third on a Steph Harshberger bunt single. Sarah Fipps plated Zimmerman with an RBI single to right. With the bases loaded after an Erin Monday walk, Tracey Stefanski doubled down the right field line to score two more runs, all before the Falcons could even record a run. When the dust settled at the end of the first inning, Newman had scored seven runs on six hits, and held a 7-1 lead.

UTPB scored another single run in the second to pull within five runs of the Jets, but Newman answered with more runs in its half of the second. Fipps opened the inning with a walk, then moved to second on a Stefanski single through the left side. Fipps was thrown out at third on a Lauren Rorebeck fielder's choice, but Briana Hallacy made up for the loss with a single to left field to score Stefanski. Hallacy and Rorebeck each scored on a double by Katie Traffas, and gave the Jets a 10-2 lead after two innings.

The Jets increased their lead to 11-2 in the third with a Zimmerman home run to left field, then held the Falcons to a single run in the fourth inning to pick up the 11-3 run-rule win.

Stefanski finished a team-best 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI in the Jets first run-rule victory of the season. Stephanie Smolsky earned her third win of the season, moving to 3-13 on the season after giving up three runs (two earned) on nine hits in four innings of work.

With the sweep, the Jets improve to 4-20 on the season, and 2-8 in the Heartland Conference. They will look to continue their momentum with two more games against the Falcons Sunday afternoon. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for noon at the Newman Softball Field.