GREENSBORO, N.C. —The Averett University baseball team pulled out some ninth inning magic, but in the end, the Cougars fell 3-2 to Greensboro College on Friday night at Ted Leonard Park.
 
Averett (5-20, 1-9 USA South) found its offensive mojo its half of the ninth. Junior Bradley Tickle jump started the rally with a single up the middle and advanced to third base on fellow junior Dallas Smithers' double down the left-field line. Tickle plated the Cougars' first run on an RBI groundout and Averett cut its deficit down to one when senior Trey Wall banged out a single to right-center. However, Greensboro's Willis Booth induced a game-ending strikeout to pick up his first save of the year.
 
Greensboro (18-9, 6-4) broke up a pitchers' duel in the bottom of the fourth and it helped the Pride pull in front. Jimmy Short's two-baser down the line in left brought home the game's first run. Short moved up 90 feet to third on a sacrifice fly by Adam Murray, but Smithers worked the strike zone to get the final out of the frame and end the Pride's rally.
 
The Pride extended their lead to three in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Zach Neumeister and a Cougars' wild pitch. That score held up until the top of the ninth when the Cougars found their bite and nearly tied the game.
 
Pitching had the upper hand early on as neither team was able to record a hit through the first three-and-a-half innings.
 
Piero Amdor picked up the win, tossing seven innings of one-hit ball while striking out four.
 
Smithers turned in five innings on the hill, striking out three. Freshman Sawyer Smith and senior James Culberth only surrendered a combined two hits over the final three frames to keep the Cougars in the contest.
 
Wall, Smithers, Tickle and freshmen Chip Granderson and Chase McKinney each recorded a hit for Averett, while Wall and Tuggle drove in both runs.
 
Averett returns to the diamond on Saturday for game two of the three-game tilt with the Pride. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Greensboro.