CARY, N.C. — Junior Zack DeCarlo and sophomore Tanner Bradshaw hit their first career home runs in Averett University baseball's electric extra-inning 15-14 win over William Peace University Saturday afternoon.
 
Averett (5-22, 3-11 USA South) benefitted from back-to-back walks in the top of the 10th inning to put runners on first and second. Then, senior Dillon Roberts reached on a fielders choice that pushed sophomore Tyler Butler to third base with one out. 
 
That gave way for junior Nick Winston, who came through in the clutch once again for the Cougars, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Butler to give Averett a 15-14 advantage. 
 
Butler would return to the mound for the bottom of the 10th inning following a scoreless ninth inning, striking out the last two batters to earn the victory out of the bullpen.
 
Saturday would prove to be a battle as Averett jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, scoring its first run on an RBI ground out by junior Andrew Lancaster and adding two more runs on a two-RBI single up the middle by freshman Nate Tuck.
 
Averett increased its lead to 5-0 when DeCarlo crushed his first career home run to left field. scoring Tuck on the play following a leadoff single. 
 
The Cougars added two more runs in the inning to take a 7-0 lead, the first coming on a single to right centerfield by sophomore Ryan Traylor that scored Winston and the second coming when Traylor scored on a wild pitch.
 
William Peace (7-18, 3-11 USA South) would not let the Cougars seven-run lead last long, as the Pacers scored nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-7 lead. 
 
Bradshaw, however, would get one back for Averett in the top of the fifth, hitting his first career home run over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 9-8. 
 
McKinney tied the game at 9-9 in the top of the six inning on an RBI-single to left field that scored sophomore Martin Nicolay, but the Pacers would get a run back in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead at 10-9. 
 
For the second time, though, the Cougars would battle back from being down, scoring five runs in the seventh inning to take a 14-10 lead. After they scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 10-10, Traylor singled through the right side to give the lead back to the Cougars at 11-10. 
 
Following Traylor's lead-changing single, Lancaster would clear the bases on a double to left centerfield, scoring McKinney, Traylor and Winston for a 14-10 advantage. 
 
William Peace then scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game at 14-14. 

Overall, Averett used 15 players in Saturday's clutch victory, while the Pacers used 19. Four Cougars recorded two-hit games for the afternoon, as Winston and Traylor recorded three-hit days, the second straight three-hit game for Traylor, while Tuck and DeCarlo finished with two hits apiece
 
The Cougars ended the game with 14 hits, tying their season-high mark set against Covenant earlier in the month. Lancaster finished with a season-high four runs batted in, while Winston and Traylor each recorded three runs scored. 
 
Butler picked up the win for Averett, pitching two solid no-hit innings while striking out four. 
 
Averett and William Peace will battle on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a winner takes the series Game 3.