ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Junior Chase McKinney homers in Averett University baseball's conference doubleheader losses to N.C. Wesleyan College on Saturday afternoon by finals of 7-4 and 16-4. 
 
Game 1:
 
Averett (6-26, 3-14 USA South) trailed 4-0 after the fifth inning as the Battling Bishops scored four runs in the inning, adding one run in the seventh and two in the eighth to take a 7-1 lead over the Cougars. 
 
N.C. Wesleyan (20-9, 11-5 USA South) gave up a run in the top of the seventh inning when junior Andrew Lancaster hit a sacrifice fly out to center field that scored sophomore Ryan Traylor. 
 
The Cougars trailed 7-1 heading into the top of the ninth inning, but managed to score three runs in the inning to cut into the Battling Bishops lead at 7-4. Lancaster pushed the first run across on an RBI double to left field and junior Sawyer Smith singled up the middle scoring two for the final Cougars runs. 
 
Senior Matt Tuggle got the start on the mound for the Cougars pitching seven complete innings, scattering seven hits and allowing four earned runs. 
 
Traylor finished 2-4 from the plate with two runs scored, while Lancaster also added two hits and two runs batted in. The Cougars finished the game with 10 hits as juniors Cody Jones and Zack DeCarlo, along with seniors A.J. Hart, Corey Wall and sophomore Tanner Bradshaw all contributed hits. 
 
Game 2:
 
McKinney put the Cougars up 1-0 early, launching his second home run of the season in the first inning, pacing Averett to three runs in the inning as Wall grounded out scoring Traylor and Jones added an RBI single that scored Lancaster. 
 
N.C. Wesleyan pulled within one run in the bottom half of the first inning scoring two runs, but the Cougars added a run in the top of the second inning on a balk. 
 
However, the Battling Bishops tied the game 4-4 in the bottom half of the second inning and later exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning as Saturday's second game was called at the conclusion of the seventh inning. 
 
McKinney collected two hits in Game 2 as Traylor followed up a two hit game one performance with two more hits in the second game. Lancaster, Jones, Hart and freshman Dawsyn Hock all added hits. 
 
The Cougars return back to action Sunday when they travel back to Rocky Mount, N.C. for Game 3 with N.C. Wesleyan at 2 p.m.