GOODWELL, Okla. - Heartland Conference play ended on a high note for the Newman softball team, which secured its first 10-win season as an NCAA Div. II team with a sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State Sunday afternoon at the OPSU Softball Field in Goodwell, Okla. Newman took a 7-3 decision in the opener, then secured the four-game sweep with a 13-9 win in the final game of the series.

Game 1: Newman 7, Oklahoma Panhandle State 3
Newman (10-26, 6-9 Heartland) needed just one pitch to plate its first run of the contest. Emily Zimmerman took the first offering from Oklahoma Panhandle State (2-42, 1-14 Heartland) starter Taylor Cange, and sent it over the left field fence to give the Jets an early 1-0 lead after the opening inning.

Zimmerman scored again in the third. After reaching on a fielding error at shortstop, the senior scored a Tracey Stefanski single up the middle, and pushed Newman's lead to 2-0. Katie Traffas added another run for the Jets in the fourth, reaching on a bunt single, then scoring on a Steph Harshberger single through the right side. After four innings the Jets held a 3-0 advantage.

The Aggies plated their first run in the fourth, tagging Newman starter Sarah Fipps for a run on two hits while narrowing the Newman lead to 3-1. But the Jets did OPSU one better in the fifth. With one out in the inning, Stefanski doubled to left, then scored on an opposite-field double to right off the bat of Briana Hallacy. Hallacy went on to score on a Sarah Stutts single to right-center. After five, Newman led 5-1.

OPSU added two more runs in the sixth to keep things interesting, but yet again the Jets had an answer. Lauren Rorebeck opened Newman's final at-bat with a home run to left field, putting a dent in the hood of a Hummer parked just beyond the fence. Stefanski followed with a single to right, then scored on another Stutts single, this time to left. Fipps shut down the Aggies in the bottom of the inning to secure the 7-3 win for the Jets.

Stefanski finished a team-best 3-for-4 at the plate, adding two runs and an RBI in the process. Starter Sarah Fipps went the distance, picking up her third win of the season after allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits in seven innings of work. Fipps also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

Game 2: Newman 13, Oklahoma Panhandle State 9
A slug-fest concluded the four-game series, as the two teams combined for 22 runs on 27 hits, while Newman (11-26) snuck away with the 13-9 win.

Newman scored first in the contest, notching a single run in the second when Briana Hallacy, who was hit by a pitch as the second batter of the inning, scored on an Emily Zimmerman single through the left side to give the Jets an early 1-0 lead.

Oklahoma Panhandle State (2-43) stormed back with three runs in the second, and two more in the third to take what felt like a comfortable 5-1 lead after three innings.

Newman was far from finished, however. Katie Traffas took advantage of a throwing error from the OPSU shortstop to reach base as the Jets' first batter of the inning. Sarah Fipps sent Traffas across the plate with a single to center. Monday did Fipps one better with a home run over the left field fence and into the open topper of a pick-up truck full of OPSU fans. Monday's shot scored herself and Steph Harshberger, who reached on a walk. Lauren Rorebeck kept things rolling with a double to right field, while Anna Scheuffele singled up the middle, putting runners on first and third for Hallacy, who slammed Newman's second home run of the inning over the left field fence to plate three runs. After four innings, Newman had re-gained the lead, 8-5.

The Jets added another run in the fifth when Harshberger singled to third, then scored on a Rorebeck fielder's choice, pushing the Jets' lead to 9-5.

OPSU refused to go away, pulling to within two, 9-7, after scoring two runs in the fifth, but Newman answered again, this time with three runs in the sixth. Scheuffele started things off by reaching on a fielding error at first base. Hallacy pushed Scheuffele to second with a fielder's choice, and Traffas advanced both runners with a bunt single to load the bases. A Sarah Stutts double to right-center scored Hallacy and Scheuffele, while Traffas scored on Harshberger's sacrifice fly to center. By the end of their at-bat, Newman had stretched their lead to 12-7.

The Aggies scored two more in the bottom of the sixth and pulled to within three runs at 12-9 before head coach Steve Harshberger replaced starter Stephanie Smolsky with Sarah Fipps, who induced a pop-up to end the inning.

Erin Monday spotted Newman another run in the seventh courtesy of a left-field long ball to give the Jets the 13-9 advantage they went on to win by.

Sarah Fipps finished 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Jets, scoring a run and two RBI in the process. Steph Harshberger went 2-for-3 in the contest, scoring two and hitting one in. Starter Stephanie Smolsky pitched 5-2 innings, giving up nine runs (seven earned) on 13 hits while she improved to 6-15. Fipps was credited with the save, pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless softball.

The wins improve Newman's overall record to 11-26. They will return to action Tuesday, traveling to Bolivar, Mo., to take on Southwest Baptist in their final non-conference doubleheader of the season.