DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University baseball team dropped a 17-2 decision to Tufts University Tuesday afternoon at Owen-Fulton Field.
 
Tufts (6-1, 0-0 NESCAC) scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-0 lead, before adding runs in the third, fourth and fifth inning to take a commanding 10-0 lead over the Cougars. 
 
Averett (3-17, 2-7 USA South) pushed a run across in the bottom of the fifth inning when sophomore Ryan Traylor singled up the middle scoring sophomore Tucker Majetic to cut the lead to 10-1. 
 
However, the Jumbos benefitted from another five run inning in the sixth to push the lead to 15-1.
 
The Cougars added another run in the bottom half of the eighth inning to make the game 15-2, when freshman Brandon Hatcher singled through the right side allowing junior Zack DeCarlo to score on a Tufts fielding error. 
 
Tufts plated two runs in the ninth to extend its lead to 17-2 as the Cougars put runners on in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to push across a run. 
 
Majetic finished a perfect 2-2 from the plate with one run, while Hatcher added two hits. Junior Cody Jones, sophomore Tanner Bradshaw and freshman Jason Maggs all recorded hits for the Cougars. 
 
Freshman Mack Rexrode pitched well in relief for the Cougars lasting one inning while striking out two. He was replaced by junior Sawyer Smith who pitched a solid inning of work while striking out one. 
 
Averett returns back to the diamond this coming Friday when it travels to Greensboro, N.C. for the first game of a three-game series with Greensboro College beginning at 6 p.m.