DANVILLE, Va. – The Averett University baseball team used a late inning rally to earn a USA South Conference doubleheader split with Greensboro College by finals of 8-0 and 5-4 on Saturday.
Averett (9-21, 7-10 USA South) took a 1-0 advantage on Greensboro with one swing off the bat of sophomore
Kyle Wilson for his first collegiate home run.
Greensoboro (14-18, 6-11 USA South) rallied with four runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 advantage.
The Cougars answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning scoring two runs following freshman
Ryan Scheiderer's two RBI double to pull within 4-3 of the Pride.
Freshman
Zelgin Jackson tied the game 4-4 the following inning with an RBI double to left center.
Senior
Ryan Traylor crossed the plate in the eighth inning to give Averett a 5-4 lead following a wild pitch.
Senior
Kyle Lamantia threw well in relief for the Cougars pitching 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out three batters. Fellow senior
Cole Spain came in for the final out in the eighth inning to pick up the win, while also throwing a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Sophomore
Nolan Maccabe and Jackson each recorded two hits in the win for the Cougars.
In game one of Saturday's doubleheader, Greensboro opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning of junior
Avery Spicer who got the start.
Spicer settled down following the opening frame, posting three straight scoreless innings before surrendering a run in the fourth inning.
Spicer left in the seventh inning after allowing six hits and five runs while striking out a career-high eight batters on the afternoon.
The Pride added a run in the eighth to increase their advantage to 5-0, before putting the game out of reach with three runs in the ninth inning for the 8-0 win.
Averett and Greensboro will battle it out on Sunday in the rubber match of the three-game series with first pitch schedule for 1 p.m. Additionally the Cougars will honor their 2021 senior class with a 12:45 p.m. senior day ceremony.
