MAGNOLIA, Ark. — An offensive explosion in the first game of the day helped the Newman softball team earn a split for the second time in three days as it closed out the season-opening SAU Softball Invitational with a 9-5 victory over Lincoln (Mo.) before a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Southwest Baptist Sunday.
In the first game of the day, the Jets (2-4) cracked 12 hits—a number they surpassed only once in a game in 2015—to win the slugfest against the Blue Tigers (0-5). After going down in order in the first, Newman started the second off with a Katie Ingles double, one of four extra-base hits in the contest. She plated the first run on a Bayley Horsch fielder's choice.
After four hits led to three runs for Lincoln to take the lead in the top of the third, the Jets responded with a big inning. Taylor Mannis walked and scored on an error after an Adrienne Esposito single, and Esposito scored on a Courtney Sartin double. After two quick outs, Jensen Cromer, Horsch and Rachael Withers supplied three straight two-out singles to push two more runs across.
When the Blue Tigers pushed two more runs across in the third, the Jets answered quickly, as Sartin smacked a two-run home run to left to put Newman up for good. Two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth helped seal up the second win of the season. Ingles earned the win after tossing the first four innings, while Cromer picked up a save while allowing just two hits and a walk over the final three frames.
The Jets took a tough loss to the Bearcats () in the final game of the weekend, as they managed five hits but couldn't quite catch SBU. After giving up a single run in both the fourth and the fifth, Newman cut that deficit in half quickly in the bottom half of the fifth, as Cromer led off the inning with a home run to right center to make it 2-1.
The Bearcats tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh, and held off challenges from the Jets, who had a runner reach second in each of the last two innings. Kate Smith scattered 11 hits and gave up just two earned runs and one walk as she went the distance in the circle.
Cromer finished the day 3-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs, while Sartin went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs in the first game alone. Alyssa Taylor was 2-for-2 in her two pinch-hit appearances.
The Jets have a week off before traveling to West Texas A&M for another six games in three days Feb. 19-21.
