DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University baseball team split the first two games of their three-game series with N.C. Wesleyan College, dropping the opener 12-0 and winning the nightcap, 3-1.

In Game 2, Averett (8-20, 4-7 USA South) took their first lead of the day by plating a run in the bottom of the first. Senior Dallas Smithers reached safely on an error before stealing second and receiving third on a balk by the Battling Bishops (14-15, 7-7 USA South) pitcher. Tickle recorded an RBI-groundout to bring home Smithers for his 12th RBI of the season.
 
N.C. Wesleyan threatened to tie the game in the top half of the fifth as the Battling Bishops had runners on the corners with one out. Freshman Ryan Traylor got out of the jam by forcing a groundball double play to end the inning and keep Averett's 1-0 lead intact.
 
On the ensuing Cougar at bat, Averett put two more runs on the board to increase their lead to 3-0. The Cougars took advantage of a N.C. Wesleyan error to receive their own runners on the corners situation with one out. Head coach Drew Bailey called for the suicide squeeze with junior Kyle Vidano up to bat. The second baseman struck his bunt down the third base line to score the runner from third while beating out the throw to first base. Two batters later, Tickle hit a sacrifice fly to left center field that was deep enough to score junior A.J. Hart for the three run Averett lead.
 
The Battling Bishops answered back in the top of the sixth with a run to cut the Cougar lead to two on an infield single from Alec Titmus. This would be as close as N.C. Wesleyan would get, though, as Traylor got the next batter out and then went on to hold them to their one run in the seventh and eighth innings.
 
Smithers set down the Battling Bishops in order in the ninth to claim his third save of the year and preserve the 3-1 victory for Averett.
 
Traylor went eight innings, giving up one run which was unearned while amassing four strikeouts for his second win of his collegiate career. Vidano finished 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Hart ended the game 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
N.C. Wesleyan scored five runs on six hits in the top of the second to grab the early lead in game one. The Battling Bishops extended their advantage in the fifth as they scratched across seven runs for the 12-0 advantage on the scoreboard. The Cougars offense was held in check for the majority of the game with the exception of when Averett loaded the bases with less than two outs in the first and sixth innings. Unfortunately, the Cougars could not capitalize on these opportunities and eventually fell 12-0 to N.C. Wesleyan.
 
Senior Bradley Tickle went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Junior Hunter Collins and the freshmen pair of Ben Kimberlin and Austin Ford came out of the bullpen in relief and pitched a combined 2 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and one hit while striking out three Battling Bishop batters.

Averett and N.C. Wesleyan will play the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday at 2 p.m.