GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Averett University softball team claimed a 2-0 victory over Greensboro College in conference action on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars won 1-0 in the first game and took the second game 11-3 in five innings.
 
In the opener, Averett (12-9, 4-0 USA South) pulled out a run in the fourth inning to take the lead. Junior shortstop Jessica Long set the table with a double to left center and later advanced to third on a Greensboro (11-9, 0-4) error to get in good scoring position. Senior pitcher Mary Beth Smith batted Long in with a sacrifice fly to center field as the Cougars put the first point on the scoreboard.
 
Both squads struggled offensively, but the Cougars came out on top defensively to snag the win. With the bases loaded and one out, Smith struck out two consecutive batters in the bottom of the seventh.
 
In the final game, Long and senior second baseman Taylor Dix notched an RBI single each to help the Cougars pull ahead 4-0 in the second frame. Greensboro closed the gap to two in the bottom half, but Averett stretched the lead again with six runs in the third. Collectively, the Cougars hit three doubles and a triple to run up the score, sparked by senior pitcher Jessica Griffin's two RBI double to left center. Griffin went 2-for-2 from the batter's box.
 
Long finished with the only triple of the afternoon as Smith and Dix added a double each. Dix went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and freshman outfielder Taylor Hodges nailed her first collegiate double.
 
The Cougars travel to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, on Saturday, March 19, to face conference foe Covenant College in a doubleheader at 1 p.m.