DANVILLE, Va. ­— The Averett University baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against Penn State University-Harrisburg on Monday at Owen-Fulton Field. The Cougars took the first contest 8-5, and then picked up a 3-2 victory in the rubber match.
 
In the first game, Averett (8-7) found itself trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the third inning. However, the Cougars strung together five runs in the frame to take a 7-4 advantage. Junior Ramel Reynolds scored on a Penn State-Harrisburg throwing error on sophomore Kyle Vidano's sacrifice bunt to cut the Cougars' deficit to one. Moments later, senior Kyle Walsh's fielder's choice to the short stop scored sophomore Dallas Smithers and tied the score at 4-4. Several batters later, senior Mike Moore gave the Cougars a two-run advantage when he brought in two runs with a single through the left side. Averett rounded out the scoring courtesy of an RBI single by junior Hunter Ashworth.
 
Penn State-Harrisburg (5-8) got a run back in its half of the fifth to make it a two-run affair. Averett, though, answered back in its half of the fifth when Ashworth drove in his second run of the game to lead to the final score.
 
Despite the loss, the Lions used a four-run first to gain an early cushion. A RBI double to left-center by Chris Iocca brought home Penn State-Harrisburg's first tally of the game. The Lions used a pair of wild pitches by the Cougars to establish a 4-0 lead after a half inning of play.
 
Averett, though, grabbed a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to cut its deficit in half thanks to senior Nic Futrell's two-run double to right-center.
 
Ashworth led Averett's offensive attack in the first game, finishing 2 for 3 behind the plate and driving in two runs. Moore and Futrell each drove in a pair of runs, while Walsh and Vidano brought in one a piece.
 
Walsh (2-1) threw five innings on the hill to pick up his second victory of the season. Junior Cody Johnson was solid in relief, not allowing any hits over one inning of work. Senior Brandon Goff pitched the seventh for the Cougars, not allowing any hits, while striking out one to pick up his first save of the season.
 
Game 2 saw Penn State-Harrisburg nearly erase a 3-1 deficit in the top of the seventh. After a fielding error and a double put runners on second and third with one out, an RBI groundout from Tom Denniston got the Lions within one. Right-hander T.J. Viracola, however, induced a game-ending groundout to give the Cougars the sweep.
 
Averett picked up an early run in the second inning on senior Drew Evans' single through the right side to make it 1-0. The Cougars grabbed a valuable insurance in the third when Vidano scored junior Trey Wall on a groundout to short.
 
After giving up a run in the fifth, Vidano brought home the eventual game winning run on a single through the right side.
 
Vidano recorded two RBIs in the second game, while Evans brought in the other run. Wall finished the second game a perfect 2-for-2 and scored two runs.
 
Smithers (1-1) went 6.1 innings in his first start as a Cougar, striking out four, while allowing two runs, none of which were earned. Viracola came on in relief and locked down the game for the save.
 
The Cougars return to action on March 11 when they travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to take on Guilford College at 1 p.m. Averett defeated Guilford 6-5 earlier in the season at Owen-Fulton Field.