DANVILLE, Va. — No. 16 Averett University softball sealed the 2015 USA South Conference regular season championship with a doubleheader sweep of Covenant College on Friday at Cougar Field. Averett (30-1-1, 20-1-0 USA South) edged Covenant 3-0 in the opener, then rallied for an 8-4 victory in the second game to set several program records on the Cougars' "Strike Out Cancer" day.
 
The sweep sets Averett's all-time record for conference wins at 20, breaking the last season's mark of 18. The Cougars, who clinched their first regular season title since 1995, also tied their single-season record for overall wins, matching the 30 victories the 2000 squad posted.
 
Averett coach Bren Taylor said she was thrilled with her team's effort throughout the season, but noted that they weren't done yet. The Cougars host defending conference champion Piedmont College on Sunday to finish the regular season and begin conference tournament play next Friday.
 
"It's a great accomplishment for this team," Taylor said. "They've worked so hard and the numbers show it. The stats show it, the record shows it, but also we don't like to look at numbers, so we're not looking at the records right now because the only thing that is important to us is the doubleheader against Piedmont on Sunday and the conference tournament coming up next week."
 
Friday's victories against Covenant (9-21, 2-18 USA South) didn't come easy, though, for the Cougars. After squeaking out the win in the first game, Averett entered its half of the fifth inning in Game 2 down 4-3. After a double and a Scots' throwing error put the tying and go-ahead runs on base for the Cougars, freshman Laura Young knocked an RBI single to left field to knot the score.  Averett went ahead on the next play off junior Jessye Crews' safety squeeze bunt that scored junior Rhyan Scearce to put the Cougars up 5-4. Sophomore Samantha Hall gave the Cougars a valuable insurance run with her RBI fielder's choice to third base and sophomore Meredith Rudisill rounded out the scoring for Averett in the frame with her two-run single up the middle that gave the Cougars a four-run advantage after five.
 
Despite spotting Averett two runs in the first, Covenant used a three-run third to inch ahead. Following a lead-off walk and a pair of hit batters that loaded the bases with no outs, Covenant got a pair of RBI singles to tie the game, and an RBI groundout by Jordan Brett put the Scots up 3-2. The Scots added another run in the top of the fourth off an RBI double to give them a two-run edge. Averett, however, answered back with a run in the bottom of the frame thanks to junior Taylor Dix's sacrifice to center to cut its deficit in half.
 
Senior Amy Hamlett (4-0) kept Covenant's offense off-balance with her changeup, pitching four innings of relief while allowing just one hit and striking out two to pick up the Game 2 victory.
 
Rudisill and senior Emily Dunford paced the Cougars' offense, driving in a pair of runs apiece in the victory.  Dunford went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate and Dix chipped in with two hits of her own in the second game.
 
Game 1 featured a pitching duel between the two teams. The game remained scoreless until the fifth when a throwing error by the Scots' pitcher scored the first run of the game and put the Cougars up 1-0. Averett added two insurance runs in the sixth. Freshman Laura Young doubled and later scored on a throwing error, while Dunford came home on a wild pitch to give the Cougars a 3-0 advantage.
 
Offensively, Hall led all Averett hitters in the first game, contributing two hits. Long, Dix, Young, Scearce and Crews each added one hit as well in the win.
 
Junior Mary Beth Smith (17-1) was solid in the pitcher's circle, going seven innings while striking out eight in the victory.
 
Averett returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Piedmont in its regular season home finale at 1 p.m.