BREVARD, N.C. — Averett University baseball lost to Brevard College 3-1 in Game 1 and 16-12 in Game 2 on Friday afternoon.
In Game 2, Averett (0-2, 0-0 ODAC) was down 4-2 going into the fourth inning. Juniors
Caden Grider and
Mason Williams got on base after back-to-back walks. Senior
Brandt Brophy advanced both runners after poking an RBI-single through the left side to send Grider home. Williams got sent home after sophomore
Trevor Testerman singled to left field. The bases got loaded after an errand throw by the third baseman. Junior
Gavin Colwell belted a grand slam over the left field fence to give the Cougars an 8-4 lead over Brevard (2-0, 0-0 USA South).
In Game 1, it was tied up 0-0 going into the top of the second inning. Grider swatted a double down the left field line. Freshman
Jack Turner followed-up with another double to send Grider home, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Brevard took a two-run lead after two runners got on with a pair of singles, followed by a two-RBI single to make the score 2-1. The Tornados tacked on one more run in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch that advanced a runner home from third.
In game 2, Brophy led off the top of the first with a double to left center. Testerman laid down a sacrifice bunt to send Brophy to third. Colwell knocked an RBI-single up the middle to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Brevard tied things up after a single followed by a couple of stolen bases and an RBI-groundout. In the top of the second, junior
Kevin Zischke clobbered a ball over the fence in center field to put Averett up 2-1. In the bottom half of the inning, Brevard took a 4-2 lead after stringing together some hits and drawing a couple walks. The Tornados took a chunk out of Averett's lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after scoring two runs on a pair of singles, making the score 8-6.
The Cougars struggled defensively in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving up five runs to allow Brevard to lead 11-8. In the top of the sixth, Brophy and Testerman got on base after getting walked. Sophomore
Chris Byrd loaded up the bases after he was hit by a pitch. Colwell scored Brophy after reaching on a fielder's choice. Freshman
Drew Skinner grounded out to second, but it allowed Testerman to score to bring the Cougars within one run. Brevard tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh. Testerman and Byrd hit back-to-back homeruns in the top of the eighth to close the gap to 15-12. Brevard managed to add one more run to finish the game.
In Game 2, Brophy went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two walks. Testerman and Byrd both went 2-for-4 with a solo homerun each. Zischke had a homerun as well and Colwell had a grand slam.
