DANVILLE, Va. — Senior Kevin Alvarez hit three home runs as the Averett University baseball team swept Covenant College in a USA South Conference doubleheader. Averett defeated Covenant 7-6 in the first game and downed the Scots 12-7 in the nightcap. Alvarez went  6-for-9 in the sweep, driving in eight RBIs to pace the Cougars.
 
Alvarez's two-run blast to left-center in the third inning of Game 1 gave Averett (25-12, 19-10 USA South) a 4-1 lead. Covenant (14-23, 10-16 USA South) tied the game in the top of the eighth when Alex Kerr's RBI single down the right field line scored Caleb Bloye to knot the score at 4-4. Averett went back on top in its half of the eighth when senior J.T. Crowder delivered a tie-breaking RBI double to give the Cougars a one-run advantage. Averett added another run in the frame on senior Taylor Davis' single to left that scored Crowder. Senior Nic Futrell brought in the eventual game-winning run with a single to left-center that scored Davis, giving Averett a 7-4 lead it never relinquished.
 
Covenant seemed poised to stage a comeback in the ninth, plating two runs to cut its deficit down to one. However, sophomore Hunter Ashworth caught the Scots' Will Carlton trying to steal home to end the game and give Averett the win.
 
Trailing 4-1 entering the seventh, Covenant added two runs to cut the Cougars' lead down to one. Z Arima's sacrifice fly to center got the Scots within two and Will Cleland's RBI double to left made it 4-3. Covenant came close to tying the game three batters later, but Alvarez made a beautiful throw home to nail the runner and keep Averett in front. 
 
Despite the loss, Covenant jumped out on top of the Cougars early, taking a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to center. However, Averett answered back with two runs in the bottom of the frame when Futrell brought home freshman Kyle Vidano and Crowder with a two-run double down the left field line to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage.
 
Alvarez went 2-for-5 in the victory, adding two RBIs, while Futrell recorded three hits and drove in two runs.
 
Junior right-hander Brandon Goff (2-0) picked up the victory in relief, throwing one inning, while surrendering only one hit. Junior relief pitcher Drew Evans earned his third save of the season.
 
In Game 2, Alvarez exploded for two homers and six RBIs to help Averett pick up the conference victory. After nearly letting an 8-1 lead slip away in the top of the eighth, Alvarez knocked his second long ball of the day- a two-run shot to left- to put the Cougars in front 10-7 and help jump start a four-run inning for Averett. Senior Nick Ascue's RBI double to left-center gave the Cougars their third run of the frame and a wild pitch from Covenant's pitcher scored Ashworth to give Averett a 12-7 cushion after eight.
 
Leading 2-1 going into the fifth, Averett used back-to-back homers to break open the game. After Crowder walked to lead off the inning, Alvarez cranked a two-run blast to left-center to push the Cougars' lead to three. Futrell followed with a solo-shot to give Averett a four-run advantage going into the sixth. 
 
Averett put three runs on the board in the sixth thanks to Crowder's RBI groundout to short and Alvarez's two-run single to left to build its lead to seven after six. However, Covenant plated six runs in the top of the eighth to cut Averett's lead to 8-7. The Cougars, though, used a four-run bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach for the Scots.
 
Junior T.J. Viracola picked up the victory in the second game, scattering four hits, while striking out six in six innings of work. Goff pitched a 1/3 of an inning to earn his third save of the season.
 
Alvarez paced the Cougars offensively in the second game, going a perfect 4-for-4 behind the plate. Futrell drove in two runs, while Crowder, Coston and Ascue each added an RBI in the victory.
 
Averett closes out its season on Saturday when it hosts Covenant at 12 p.m. at Owen-Fulton Field.