DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University baseball lost the opening two games of its conference series with N.C. Wesleyan College, falling 11-6 and 5-3 in 11 innings Saturday at Owen-Fulton Field.
In Game 2, N.C. Wesleyan (16-9, 8-0 USA South) broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 11th inning. Jaiden Barker drove in the first run with a bloop single to right field to bring in the go-ahead run. The Bishops added another run moments later on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Down two, Averett (9-17, 3-5 USA South) threatened in the bottom of the 11th by putting the tying runs on base with two outs before N.C. Wesleyan right-hander Daniel Thompson got a strikeout to end it.
Thompson pitched all 11 innings for the win.
N.C. Wesleyan led 1-0 after a solo homer in the first inning and added a run in each of the second and third innings to go ahead 3-0. Averett, however, battled back to score three runs in the fourth inning. Senior
Avery Spicer's RBI single up the middle got the Cougars on the scoreboard, and freshman
Caden Grider followed with a two-run double down the left field line to tie it, 3-3.
The two teams remained tied for the next six innings with both teams working out of big jams until N.C. Wesleyan pulled out the win in extra innings.
Spicer had two of Averett's three hits in the second game.
In the opener, N.C. Wesleyan scored three runs in the first and another in the second inning to take a 4-0 advantage. Senior
Brandon Hatcher's RBI single in the fifth trimmed the Averett deficit to 4-1, but a four-run top of the sixth inning put the Bishops back in command.
Hatcher struck again for the Cougars in the bottom of the sixth, dropping an RBI double down the right field line. Freshman
Preston Robbins followed with a two-run single to get Averett back within 8-4. N.C. Wesleyan tacked on two more runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to go ahead 11-4. Averett got an RBI double by senior
Nate Tuck and an RBI groundout by Grider closed the gap to 11-6 before N.C. Wesleyan ended it to take the first game of the three-game series.
Hatcher and Tuck both went 3-for-5 in Game 1 at the plate.
Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
