CARY, N.C. — Averett University softball cruised past Hood College 10-1 in five innings, then lost to No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan University 2-1 to finish play Sunday at the Triangle Classic.
 
In the opener, Hood jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Blazers loaded the bases but only managed one run on a sacrifice fly as Averett escaped further damage. The Cougars tied it up in the bottom half of the frame on sophomore Nicole Cauthen's RBI single through the right side.
 
Cauthen struck again in the third, crushing a three-run homer to right field to put the Cougars ahead 4-1. Averett tacked on three more runs in the fourth with the help of two Hood errors and another Cauthen RBI single.
 
The Cougars ended the game early with three more runs in the fifth, culminating with senior Amanda Wright's two-run single up the middle.
 
Cauthen finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs, while sophomore Kaitlyn Aherron had two hits and two runs scored and sophomore Brianna Harris drew three walks, scored three runs and drove in a run.
 
Freshman right-hander Dani Kahn (1-1) picked up her first collegiate win, striking out four over five innings.
 
In the nightcap, Averett hung tight with Virginia Wesleyan, the defending national champion and top-ranked team in the country. The Marlins led off the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs from Jessica Lindsay and Julie Fassl to give Virginia Wesleyan a 2-0 advantage.
 
Aside from the second inning, Averett masterfully worked out of several jams without allowing a run. The Cougars forced the Marlins to strand 10 runners — seven in scoring position, including the bases loaded in the third inning.
 
Averett broke up the reigning national player of the year Hanna Hull's no-hitter and shutout in the seventh. Cauthen hustled out a double to left-center. Sophomore Mallory Griffiths, who pinch-ran, scored all the way from second base on a dribbler to shortstop, which sophomore Casey Cook beat out at first. Virginia Wesleyan then got the next out to escape with the 2-1 win.