LYNCHBURG, Va. —Junior right-handed pitcher Daniel Elliott staved off a ninth inning rally from Lynchburg College as the Averett University baseball team picked up a 7-6 non-conference road win on Wednesday at City Stadium.
Down to its final out and trailing 7-5, Lynchburg (7-14) used an Averett error to pull within one. With the tying run just 90-feet away, Elliott got the Hornets' Matthew Cotton to strikeout looking to end the game.
Averett (11-14) held a one-run advantage going into its half of the ninth. Freshman A.J. Hart kicked things off with a single and moved to second on a groundout from sophomore Dallas Smithers. Two batters later, sophomore Kyle Vidano stepped up and smashed a triple to right-center field that scored Hart and provided the Cougars with the eventual game-winning run.
Despite allowing Lynchburg to erase a four-run deficit, Averett pulled ahead in the eighth inning. Senior Billy McLaughlin led off the frame with a single to left field and moved to second base on senior Drew Evans' sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, junior Trey Wall sent McLaughlin home with a single through the left side to put the Cougars up 6-5 heading into the bottom of the frame.
Trailing 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, Lynchburg grabbed a pair of runs to knot the score. Joe Tomasulo recorded the Hornets' fourth tally of the game on an Averett fielding error. Matthew Cotton brought in the tying run with an RBI single seconds later.
Lynchburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the middle of the third. Drew Taylor led off with a single and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Moments later, Taylor advanced to third on a groundout. Taylor eventually came home on a wild pitch from the Cougars to stake an early lead. The Hornets loaded the bases minutes later, but Smithers buckled down and induced a fly out to right to end the threat.
Averett answered back in the fourth to take the lead. A lead-off walk to Vidano put a runner on first. Senior Nic Futrell followed with a two-base error to right field and the Cougars had men on second and third. Vidano eventually came home on a wild pitch to even the score. Averett took a 2-1 lead when Evans brought home Futrell with an RBI fielder's choice to the shortstop.
The Cougars extended their lead to two when Smithers helped his cause with a single to right that scored freshman A.J. Hart. Smithers scored seconds later when junior Hunter Ashworth slapped a double to right-center that made it a 4-1 game. Futrell gave Averett a four-run cushion when he knocked a single to left that plated Ashworth.
Despite trailing 5-1, the Hornets picked up a pair of runs in their half of the sixth to cut their deficit in half courtesy of an RBI triple by Taylor and a single from Thomas Powell that scored Taylor.
Futrell was solid offensively for the Cougars going 2-for-5, while driving in a run.
Elliott (1-2) was lockdown in relief duties, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing only one run on one hit, while striking out two.
Averett takes the field again on Friday when it kicks off a three-game USA South Conference series against Greensboro College at 3:30 p.m. on Owen-Fulton Field.
