LAGRANGE, Ga. — Averett University softball opened the USA South Conference Tournament with a thrilling, 6-4 win in 10 innings over Huntingdon College on Friday. However, the Cougars fell to Maryville College, 2-1, in eight innings in a tight battle at the Shuford Softball Complex in LaGrange.

Freshman Hannah Thompson's two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning propelled Averett (28-25) past Huntingdon (30-14) into the winner's bracket to begin the day. Tied 4-4 through nine innings, freshman Lauren Johnston reached with a leadoff single ahead of Thompson, who crushed her seventh blast of the season to left field, giving the Cougars a 6-4 advantage. Averett nearly made it 8-4, but the Cougars were robbed of a two-run homer by Huntingdon center fielder Rayne Ellis, who caught the third out while falling over the temporary fence in center.

Thompson (16-5), who came in to pitch in relief to start the ninth, mowed through Huntingdon's lineup over the final two innings.

Averett's day started with a bang as junior Kaitlyn Aherron crushed the first pitch of the game over the right-center fence to put the Cougars ahead 1-0. The home run, her seventh of the year, broke the program's single-season record for team homers.

With the Cougars nursing a one-run lead, Huntingdon threatened to score in four consecutive innings. In the third inning with runners on first and second, freshman pitcher Kaity Sullivan got a strikeout to get out of that jam. Then in the fourth, the Hawks had the bases loaded before Sullivan induced a high lineout to Thompson at shortstop for the final out. Huntingdon again had runners on the corners when the Hawks popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt to freshman catcher Anna Coleman, who fired down to third base o double-up the runner who hadn't gotten back to the bag in time for the final out. The Hawks again loaded the bases in the sixth before Sullivan once again got the inning-ending strikeout.

Averett added two its lead in the top of the seventh, scoring runs on junior Taylor Bailey's RBI double and junior Brianna Harris' RBI single up the middle to extend the Cougars' lead to 3-0. Those insurance runs proved to be crucial.

In the bottom of the seventh, Huntingdon finally broke through on Kaci Cochran's one-out, RBI double. An error helped extend the inning, allowing the Hawks to tie the game, 3-3, on Lydia Lewis' two-run single. Huntingdon had the winning run at third base, but Averett got a flyout to left field for the final out to force extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Aherron crushed a triple to the wall in right-center, and she scored the go-ahead run on freshman Erin Rankin's RBI single moments later to put the Cougars ahead 4-3.

Yet, once again, Huntingdon had an answer. Down to their last out, the Hawks tied it 4-4 with Caitlyn Caffee's RBI single to left field. It remained tied through the ninth and into the 10th inning before Thompson's heroics.

Averett totaled 13 hits against Huntingdon, including three each by Aherron and Harris.

Thompson threw two shutout innings against the Hawks to earn the win in relief Sullivan, who allowed three runs — two earned — in 7.2 innings pitched.

Averett's winner's bracket game later Friday was equally as nail-biting. Scoreless entering the fifth inning, Maryville jumped ahead 1-0 on Morgan Brewer's RBI single. The Cougars answered in the top of the sixth when Thompson belted a game-tying solo homer off USA South Pitcher of the Year Katlyn Smith to knot the game at 1-1.

The two teams remained deadlocked entering extra innings. Maryville got the walk-off win in the bottom of the eight on Alexus Murray's single that dropped into the right-center gap, which scored Brewer from second.

Averett falls to the loser's bracket in the double-elimination tournament, where the Cougars will play Piedmont College at 10 a.m. on Saturday.