DANVILLE, Va. — Senior Mary Beth Smith's walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted Averett to a 4-1 victory in Game 2 to help the Cougars sweep a doubleheader with conference foe Huntingdon College on Friday afternoon at Cougar Field. Averett also won the first game 4-1.

Tied 1-1 entering its final at-bat, freshman Andrea Grant led off with a pinch-hit single and senior Taylor Dix reached with a one-out single to put two runners aboard with one out. Smith then came to the plate and cranked a first-pitch fastball over the fence in left-center field to give Averett (16-11, 8-2 USA South) a sweep of Huntingdon (12-14, 6-4 USA South).

While Smith's home run sealed the win, it may have been her play earlier in the inning that was the most crucial play of the game. Huntingdon had runners on the corners and only one out in the top of the seventh, the Hawks seemed poised to take the lead. Lindsey Selph lifted a foul ball to deep left field. Smith, playing left field, made the catch in foul territory, then gunned down Huntingdon's Felicia Peoples — who had tagged up at third base — at the plate by two steps for the final out.

Averett had to battle back from a 1-0 deficit after Huntingdon scored in the top of the fourth. Senior Jessica Griffin's RBI single up the middle knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth to help set up the dramatic seventh inning.

Freshman Kristyn Owen (4-5) had a strong performance in her first complete game. She allowed just one run on three hits and six walks with four strikeouts.

Offensively, Smith and Griffin combined for four of Averett's eight hits in Game 2.

Averett opened the twin bill with a 4-1 victory over the Hawks thanks to a strong start. Dix's RBI double in the first inning scored junior Jessica Long to put the Cougars in front. Dix added a two-run single in the second inning to increase the Averett lead to 3-0. Freshman Taylor Hodges added an RBI single in the third to make it a 4-0 advantage over Huntingdon.

The Hawks' lone run in the opener came in the final inning.

Smith (12-5) earned the win in the circle, striking out eight.

Dix and Hodges had two hits apiece for Averett in Game 1.

Averett returns to action with a conference doubleheader against LaGrange College at 1 p.m. Saturday.