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ATLANTA, Ga. — No. 21 Averett University softball earned its first-ever postseason victory by edging Berry College 4-1 in the first round of Friday's NCAA Regionals hosted at Emory University.

Averett (35-3-1) advances in the winner's bracket to play No. 7 Emory University on Saturday at 11 a.m. Emory beat LaGrange College 2-0 on Friday.

"I'm very, very proud of the girls," Averett coach Bren Taylor said. "We had fun the whole game and they didn't let the small things bother them. They bounced back from an early error and Berry tying the game up."

The Cougars broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth inning with several big hits. After junior Taylor Dix singled to lead off the frame, junior Mary Beth Smith lined a shot to center field that got by a diving Rachel Bartoe. Dix easily scored as Smith ended up with a triple to put Averett in front. Junior Jessye Crews followed with an RBI double and senior Emily Dunford added an RBI sacrifice fly to extend Averett's lead to 4-1 over Berry (32-7).

"Those types of innings there depict who is going to win," Taylor said. "Both teams were very even. I felt like we were playing us on paper, so it was going to take just one inning to break out. Luckily we were the ones that did it."

That run support was more than enough for Smith (19-3), who finished off Berry over the final two innings with the help of several solid defensive plays behind her.

"It really took the pressure off pitching once we started scoring, so that was nice," said Smith, who struck out five while allowing one unearned run on six hits and two walks.

Averett grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to junior Rhyan Scearce's clutch double to left-center, which scored Crews from second base. The Vikings tied it up in the bottom half of the inning on Bartoe's RBI single up the middle following an error.

For Averett, Friday's victory was historic. Entering the day, Averett was 0-2 all-time in NCAA Regional play when the Cougars fell to Bethany College and Emory during its only other postseason appearance in 2004.

"This first win was really crucial," Smith said. "It kind of sets the tone for the tournament. With this team, if you get a good start, typically the ball will keep rolling and is a good sign for the rest of this tournament."

Taylor also is confident in her team heading into Saturday's game.

"Going back to the beginning of the year, I walked into the class room during the first team meeting and said, 'You are champions,'" she said. "I felt it in my heart and I knew this team could do this, I knew this team could be here and we could win. I feel that we have a lot more in us."


Atlanta Regional Schedule
Friday, May 8
Game 1 – Averett 4, Berry 1
Game 2 – Emory 2, LaGrange 0

Saturday, May 9
Game 3 – Averett vs. Emory, 11 a.m.
Game 4 – Berry vs. LaGrange, 1:30 p.m.
Game 5- Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3, 4 p.m.
        
Sunday, May 10
Game 6 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12 p.m.
Game 7 – if necessary, 2:30 p.m.