GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Averett University baseball team dropped its season opener 7-2 to Guilford College on the road Friday afternoon.
 
Averett (0-1) got off to a strong start when sophomore Brandon Hatcher collected the Cougars first hit of the 2020 season on a single up the middle in the first inning.
 
Hatcher later advanced to third on senior Chase McKinney's single to left field and came around to score on an RBI single by sophomore Avery Spicer to take an early 1-0 advantage. 
 
Junior Cole Spain got the start for the Cougars and set down the Quakers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first inning. 
 
However, Guilford (1-0) benefitted from four unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Averett cut into Guilford's lead at 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning when Hatcher doubled to center field for his second hit of the game and scored on an RBI single by senior Cody Jones. 
 
The Quakers increased their lead in the bottom half of the inning answering with two runs and adding a run in the seventh to take a commanding 7-2 edge. 
 
Hatcher and Spicer each finished the opener 2-4 at the plate, while Jones, McKinney and senior Zack DeCarlo all recorded hits.
 
Averett finished the season opener with a 7-6 hit advantage over the Quakers, however the damage was dealt in the bottom half of the second inning when Guilford benefitted on three runs following a Cougars fielding error. 
 
The Cougars return back to action on Saturday when they host Washington and Lee University for a double-header beginning at noon.