RALEIGH, N.C. — Senior
Lauren Nelson had seven runs batted in, including a bases-loaded walk to give Averett University softball a 10-2 win in five innings over Brevard College on Saturday at the Triangle Softball Classic. The Cougars bounced back with a win over the Tornados after falling to No. 11 Case Western Reserve University 11-3 in six innings earlier in the day at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
The Cougars got on the board first in the second inning as Averett (3-3) put together a two-out rally. After two consecutive singles with two away, freshman
Kailey Gates knocked a single down the left field line, which would have loaded the bases. However, Brevard's unforced throw home was errant and freshman
Hannah Zabik scored from third. Following a walk to reload the bases, Nelson crushed a bases-clearing three-run double to left-center to push Averett's lead to 4-0. Senior
Karsin Lee then singled to right field, and Nelson's aggressive base running allowed her to come all the way home on another throwing error by the Tornados.
Up 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Nelson came through again with a three-run blast to left-center to give the Cougars an 8-0 advantage.
Although Brevard (2-4) scored two runs in the top of the fifth to temporarily extend the game, the Cougars still ended the game by run rule in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore
Salem Hill had a pinch-hit single, moving junior
Olivia Jones to third. Jones then scored on a wild pitch, which also allowed Hill to move all the way to third. Brevard looked like it might escape without giving up the game-ending run after getting two quick outs. However, Averett drew two walks to load the bases for Nelson, who got the walk-off win with a third consecutive base on balls.
Nelson finished 2-for-3 with seven RBIs and a walk with two runs scored to lead Averett's offense, which had 10 runs on seven hits. Gates and sophomore
Angela Rodriguez each scored two runs as well.
Zabik went the distance in the circle, getting her first collegiate win. She struck out three in five innings as Averett improved to 5-0 all-time against Brevard.
To open the day, Averett lost to nationally ranked Case Western Reserve (2-0). The Cougars led 1-0 early after an RBI single by Nelson that scored Gates. The Spartans answered with an RIB single in the second to tie the game, 1-1.
A one-out solo homer gave Case Western Reserve the lead, and the Spartans tacked on three more runs with the help of two errors in that frame to go up 5-1. Although Averett got two runs back in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by freshman
Mackenzi Luckenbaugh and an RBI double from
Olivia Jones, the Spartans added five runs on four hits and one error in the fourth to pull away to a 10-3 lead. An RBI double in the bottom of the sixth ended the game early as Case Western Reserve picked up its second win of the day to open its season after coming off an NCAA Super Regional appearance a year ago.
Averett returns to action on Sunday with games against Denison University at noon and Meredith College at 2 p.m. Both games will be played at Meredith's softball field.
