DANVILLE, Va. – The Averett University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Lynchburg College on Wednesday afternoon at Cougar Field. Averett defeated Lynchburg 3-1 in the first matchup but fell short 6-3 in the second game.
 
In Game 1, Lynchburg (3-3) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but Averett (4-7) was able to bounce back in the bottom of the fifth. Junior shortstop Jessica Long put the Cougars on the scoreboard after colliding with Lynchburg's catcher Logan Walker en route to home. Long reached for the plate as Walker dropped the ball, which also allowed freshman outfielder Essence Pulliam, who was at bat, to advance all the way to third. Two batters later, senior pitcher Mary Beth Smith doubled to center field to send in Pulliam and gain a 2-1 lead. With a few ground outs and two strikeouts, the Cougars kept the Hornets from scoring for the remainder of the game, and freshman Skylar Dudley crushed her first career home run to left center to give the Cougars an assurance run.
 
Smith went 2-for-3 with one RBI and struck out eight batters to help claim the win from the circle while senior second baseman Taylor Dix notched a double.
 
Averett gained a one-run lead in the first inning of Game 2 when Smith hit a single through the left side to score Long, but later on, Lynchburg answered with five runs in third frame to pull ahead. Mackenzie Chitwood singled to the left side to load the bases, and an Averett error allowed the Hornets to score and knot the game at 1. Lynchburg continued to bring in runs with help from Leslie Bourgeois's two RBI double, and though the Cougars added a pair of runs, including freshman Brooke Cassada's first collegiate home run, it wasn't enough to catch the Hornets.
 
Long went 3-for-4 to finish with three doubles as Cassada and sophomore Mackenzie Barrett also added a double for themselves. Smith hit 2-for-4 to scoop up two RBIs.
 
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, March 5, to host Guilford College in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. during its Alumni Appreciation Day.