DANVILLE, Va. — With key hits from its seniors, Averett University softball earned a sweep of Salem College on Saturday at Cougar Field to put an exclamation point on Senior Day. Averett won 7-4 and 6-0 over Salem.
In Game 1, Averett (16-10, 7-5 USA South) broke a scoreless tie in the third inning. Senior
Lauren Johnston's RBI single down the left field line plated senior
Emily Fugate from first. Seniors
Anna Coleman and
Hannah Thompson followed with RBI singles to increase the lead to three runs, and senior
Kourtnie Blankenship smacked an RBI double to put the Cougars ahead 4-0.
Coleman added a two-run triple to left in the fifth inning to extend Averett's lead to 6-0. That was crucial as Salem rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth to close the gap to 6-4. Thompson, in the circle, then got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the threat by the Spirits.
Coleman smashed an RBI triple off the left field wall to give the Cougars another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, and Thompson closed the door on Salem in the seventh to preserve the win.
Thompson (5-5) struck out six and didn't allow an earned run in seven innings of work to earn the victory on Senior Day.
Johnston and Coleman both went 3-for-4 in Game 1, with Thompson, Blankenship and Fugate each adding two hits.
In Game 2, Averett inched ahead 1-0 in the first inning on Johnston's RBI groundout. The Cougars then added two more runs in the second inning. Junior
Hannah Heath scored on freshman
Angela Rodriguez's RBI groundout and Fugate came home on a wild pitch.
Up 3-0, Heath and Fugate hit consecutive sacrifice flies to extend Averett's advantage to 5-0. Sophomore
Briana Battinelli's pinch-hit homer to center field in the fifth capped the scoring for the Cougars.
With plenty of run support, sophomore
Taylor Sullivan (9-3) pitched another dominant performance in the shutout victory. She struck out eight while allowing just three hits and one walk.
Prior to the doubleheader, Averett honored its six seniors — Johnston, Blankenship, Fugate, Coleman, Thompson and
Elena Lewis.
Averett returns to action at home on Tuesday against Pfeiffer University at 2 p.m.
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