DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University baseball dropped a non-conference home game to Eastern Mennonite University 9-3 on Thursday afternoon at Owen-Fulton Field.
Eastern Mennonite (3-8) jumped ahead in the opening inning with three runs on four hits. Averett (3-11) answered with a run in the bottom of the first to get within 3-1 when senior
Brandon Hatcher came home on a Royals error. EMU plated four more runs in the top of the second thanks to four hits to take a commanding 7-1 advantage.
After EMU added another run in the third inning, Averett closed the gap to 8-2 with freshman
Preston Robbins' RBI single to left field, which scored junior
Nolan Maccabe, who had reached on a one-out double.
Averett limited the Royals to just one more run the rest of the way — an unearned run on a failed pickoff attempt. The Cougars threatened in the ninth, scoring a run on an EMU error and had more runners in scoring position when the Royals induced a game-ending groundout.
Maccabe had two of Averett's five hits.
The Cougars return to action against SUNY Oneonta in a noon doubleheader on Wednesday, March 16.
