NEWBERRY, S.C. - Three home runs lifted the Anderson University softball team to an 11-6 win in game one, but the Trojans dropped the second game of a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader, 4-3, in extra innings to Newberry, Saturday afternoon at the Wolves' Smith Road Complex.

Anderson (22-6, 5-1 SAC) saw its win streak halted at seven games with the split, while claiming wins in 18 of its last 21 decisions. Newberry moved to 20-13 overall on the season, including a 4-2 mark in the league.

Game #1
Anderson 11, Newberry 6
Freshman Rachel Barefield clubbed her first collegiate grand slam with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to give the Trojans some breathing room and also added a third inning walk. Sophomore right fielder Courtney Czentnar was a perfect 3-for-3 in the opener, with her fourth homer of the season - a three-run shot to center field in the first inning. She added an RBI-single, a double and a walk in the decisive seventh inning. Senior Rebecca Martin added a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly, with freshman Chelsea Jones belting a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Sophomore pitcher Lauren Rudesheim improved to 8-3 on the season by working 5 1/3 innings in the circle, while allowing six runs (four earned) on 10 hits. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.

Jones earned her fourth save of the season by limiting the Wolves to just a single over the final 1 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three of the six Wolves she faced.

The Trojans jumped on top quickly, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning, with Czentnar's three-run homer beyond the center-field fence highlighting the outburst. Senior Jessica Neidigh and junior Molly Child opened the game with back-to-back singles, with Neidigh swiping her 12th stolen base of the season and the runners moved to second and third when the Wolves' defense misplayed Child's hit. With the bases loaded, senior Bri Cason was hit by a pitch to force in Neidigh from third and Martin's fly out to center field was deep enough to plate Child with the second run. With Jones and Cason on base, Czentnar hammered the home run to boost AU's early cushion to 5-0.

Newberry countered with three runs - two unearned - in the bottom of the first inning, by taking advantage of a pair of singles, a walk and a hit batter.

But the Trojan defense stiffened, holding the Wolves scoreless over the next three innings, while posting solo runs in the third and fifth frames to claim a 7-3 lead. Cason pulled a two-out double to left in the third inning and scored on Czentnar's single to left. Jones' second home run of the season in the top of the fifth gave AU the four-run advantage.

Newberry junior Maude McCourry's two-out homer in the bottom of the fifth trimmed the Anderson lead to 7-4, with the Wolves climbing within one run by scoring twice with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run at second, Jones came on in relief to retire the next two Wolves on back-to-back strikeouts.

With two outs and the bases loaded and two out in the top of the seventh, Barefield pulled her second home run of the campaign over the left-field fence to give AU an 11-6 lead.

Newberry's Hailey Drawe recorded a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wolves were unable to push any runs across, as the Trojans claimed their seventh straight win, while handing Newberry just its third home loss of the season.

Game #2
Newberry 4, Anderson 3 (8 innings)
Freshman Cailah Niles led the Trojans at the plate in the nightcap, going 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a double. Czentnar lifted her batting average to a season-high .325 with two singles in four at-bats, while stretching her hitting streak to six games. Neidigh extended her hitting streak to eight games with a fourth-inning single.

Jones (7-2) absorbed the setback after surrendering four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings. She struck out eight batters and walked just one.

The Wolves jumped in front with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, with McCourry's two-out, two-run homer highlighting the Newberry scoring.

Anderson battled back with one run in the top of the second frame, when Czentnar reached on a fielder's choice and crossed the plate on Neidigh's sacrifice fly to center field.

The Trojans rallied to even the score at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the third inning, with Niles leading off the frame by beating out an infield single. Jones reached on an error and both runners moved up on Cason's sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher. Trudi Shuman, who pinch ran for Niles, crossed the plate when Martin bounced out to the right side, with Jones scoring on Czentnar's single back up the middle.

Neither team managed to score over the next four frames, sending the contest into extra innings. Anderson was unable to push a run across in the top of the eighth inning, while the Wolves plated the winning run on a one-out bunt single in the bottom of the inning.

The Trojans wrap up their conference road swing with a twin bill at Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday. First-pitch in Harrogate, Tenn. is set for 1 p.m.