DANVILLE, Va. — A career-high 12 strikeouts by freshman right-hander Hannah Thompson and a two-run homer by junior Nicole Cauthen highlighted Averett University softball's doubleheader sweep of Mary Baldwin University to open conference play Wednesday afternoon at Cougar Field. Averett won 6-0 and 2-1 against the Fighting Squirrels.

In the opener, Averett (17-6, 2-0 USA South) got another dominant performance from Thompson (9-2), who set a new personal best a week after getting 11 strikeouts against Ferrum College on March 13. Thompson, the Fastpitch News Division III National Player of the Week and USA South Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Week, allowed just two hits in the shutout.

With Thompson cruising in the circle all game, Averett's offense came through with some timely hits. Junior Kaitlyn Aherron's RBI triple put the Cougars in front 1-0 in the third inning. Cauthen added a two-run homer to right-center field in the fourth to extend Averett's lead to 3-0.

In the fifth, Aherron added an RBI single down the right field line. Thompson followed with an RBI single later in the inning to make it 5-0 over Mary Baldwin (3-13, 0-2 USA South). Junior Brianna Harris tacked on another insurance run in the sixth with her RBI single.

Aherron, Harris and freshman Kaity Sullivan each had two hits for the Cougars, who finished with 11 hits as a team.

The second game proved to be a closer battle. Averett took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to Thompson's RBI double down the left field line. The Cougars scored again in the third with the help of an error. With runners on the corners, Thompson broke for second base to try to get in a rundown to allow Aherron to score from third. Although the catcher placed a perfect one-hop throw to second, the ball wasn't caught and skipped into center field as Aherron headed home on the throw.

That run proved to be costly for the Squirrels, who eventually tied the game on Kayley Turner's RBI double down the left field line in the fifth.

Averett junior right-hander Taylor Bailey shut Mary Baldwin down over the final two innings after entering the game in relief of Sullivan (3-0), who had seven strikeouts while allowing one run on three hits through five innings. Bailey notched her first save.

Aherron and Thompson each had two hits for the Cougars, who didn't capitalize on several other scoring opportunities throughout the game.

Averett begins a weekend road trip at William Peace University on Saturday.