DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University baseball team fell 9-2 to N.C. Wesleyan College on Friday in its conference opener at Bauer Field.
 
The Bishops (7-1, 1-0 USA South) scored three runs in the first inning to secure a three-run lead over the Cougars.  N.C. Wesleyan added to its score in the next inning with Trey Croom's homerun, scoring two to make the score 5-0. The Cougars (1-7, 0-1 USA South) held the Bishops off for two innings with their defense. In the fifth inning, the Bishops tacked on two more runs to extend their lead to 7-0. In the seventh and eighth innings, N.C. Wesleyan put two more runs on the board to give them a lead of 9-0 going into the ninth inning.
 
The Cougars scored in the ninth inning when sophomore Ross Jackson doubled to left center scoring senior Hunter Ashworth to put Averett on the board 1-0. The Cougars finished the game 9-2 when Jackson scored on a throwing error by N.C. Wesleyan.
 
Senior second baseman Hunter Ashworth went 2-for-3. Jackson and junior Bradley Tickle followed with one hit as did sophomore Matt Tuggle, freshmen Adam George and Sawyer Smith.
 
The Cougars take the field tomorrow as they play the Battling Bishops in the second of a three-game conference series at noon in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.