Coach Newberry notches career win 800 as 17th-ranked softball sweeps John Carroll

NEW CONCORD, OHIO, April 9, 2007 - Muskingum College Head Softball Coach Donna Newberry, the all-time winningest coach in Division III history, notched her 800th career win following the first game of the Muskies' doubleheader sweep of Ohio Athletic Conference rival John Carroll University on a cold Monday afternoon. The Black & Magenta won game one 4-2 and took the nightcap, 5-3. [boxscore game 1] [boxscore game 2] [photo gallery]

With the wins, Coach Newberry stands at 801-365-1 overall and an amazing 311-59-1 in conference games. Furthermore, Muskingum now sits atop the OAC with a perfect 6-0 record and carries a 20-6 record overall.

In game one, Muskingum took the lead in the first on junior catcher Kari Hoying's RBI double that scored sophomore designated player Randi Dance. The Blue Streaks plated a pair of runs in the third to take a 2-1 edge. The Fish answered in the fourth with back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs. Junior third baseman Heather Fields opened the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by senior first baseman Amy Iammarino. Following the second out of the frame, senior outfielder Molly Jones and senior second baseman Kim Tackett each belted RBI doubles to give Muskingum a 3-2 advantage. Muskingum tacked on its final run of the game in the fifth on junior shortstop Jamie Echelberger's first home run of the season. Sophomore pitcher Amy Mattin tossed five innings and scattered four hits with seven strikeouts to notch the win. Senior pitcher Jen Klutts fired the final two innings to earn her first save.

In game two, the Muskies struck first in the fifth with a two-run, two-out rally. Freshman outfielder Mallory Hay smacked a two run double that scored Tackett and sophomore outfielder Jessica Bosway. The Fish extended its lead to 5-0 in the sixth with three runs on four hits. Hoying started the onslaught with her sixth home run of the season and Jones delivered an RBI double and Tackett added an RBI single to lead the Muskie offensive attack. Sophomore pitcher Heather Martin fired 6.2 innings and allowed six hits and registered six strikeouts to improve to 11-2 on the year. Klutts closed out the seventh to notch her second straight save.