SAN ANTONIO — Kate Smith and Jensen Cromer each twirled a gem and the Newman softball team never trailed as it completed an impressive day with a doubleheader sweep of No. 5 St. Mary's Friday in Heartland Conference action.

The Jets (11-29, 5-6 Heartland) snapped a six-game winning streak of the Rattlers (31-9, 8-3 Heartland), and locked up the first series win of the season for a team facing the conference leaders. Wins of 1-0 and 3-1 closed out the first doubleheader sweep of a top-five opponent in Newman's NCAA era.

Smith made it easy for the Newman offense in the first game, allowing just six hits — all singles — and only allowing a runner to reach second base on three sacrifice bunts. The only time St. Mary's had multiple runners on was in the bottom of the second, as a walk put Rattlers on first and second with one out, but Smith forced a pop up and then ended the frame on a strikeout to maintain the shutout.

The Jets got a pair of runners on in two of the first four frames, but it took until the sixth to break the scoreless tie. Singles from Taylor Mannis and Ariole O'Neal put two on with one out, and Erin Jankiewicz picked up the game's only RBI on a single up the middle to chase Mannis home from third.

Newman saw O'Neal, Jankiewicz and Rachael Withers all pick up a pair of base hits in the opener, and Smith walked two and struck out four to pick up her first shutout of the season.

The hits were even harder to come by for both teams in the nightcap, as they combined for just seven between them. It didn't take the Jets quite as long to take the lead though, as three straight one-out singles from Withers, Mikayla Medbery and Mannis in the third put the pressure on. An error allowed Withers to score on Mannis' single, and Mannis successfully drew a throw on a double steal to allow Medbery to score and make it 2-0.

Cromer had to work around a pair of walks in the bottom half of the inning, but then cruised through the fourth to set the stage for the fifth. There, Bayley Horsch worked a leadoff walk, was bunted over to second by Kendra Mendoza and picked up third on a groundout by Withers. Just 60 feet away, she scampered home on an error to bump the lead to 3-0.

That provided some cushion for the Jets, as St. Mary's used two singles and an error to push across its only run of the day in the sixth. With two outs in the inning and runners on second and third, Cromer induced a lineout, then retired the side in order to close out the sweep.

Withers added another two hits to finish the day 4-for-6 at the plate. Cromer allowed just three hits, walking four and striking out two and allowing just the lone unearned run.

The two sides close out the series with a single game Saturday at noon.