HARRISONBURG, Va. — Averett University softball bounced back from a tough 6-5 loss in Game 1 to crush Eastern Mennonite University 14-2 in six innings in Game 2 to earn a split in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action on Sunday.
In Game 2, Eastern Mennonite (9-20-1, 2-12 ODAC) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with an RBI single up the middle. Averett (14-18, 5-9 ODAC) surged ahead with a big fifth-inning outburst. After a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt allowed the tying run to come home, the Cougars took a 2-1 lead on sophomore
Ally Testerman's RBI infield single. Sophomore
Carson Bradsher followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Testerman, who had stolen second base, to give Averett a 3-1 lead. It was the start of an eight-run explosion offensively in which the Cougars had five hits, one walk, one hit by pitch and took advantage of one error on their way to an 8-1 lead.
Although EMU got an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, Averett's offense kept producing and added six more runs in the top of the sixth to help end the game early.
Testerman finished Game 2 with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with three runs scored. Bradsher, junior
Hannah Zabik, sophomore
Kadence Woodlief and freshman
Brianna Brooks each had two hits in the second game of the day.
Sophomore
Kaci Stephenson earned the win, pitching the first 4.2 innings while allowing just two runs. Junior
Sarah Lysohir pitched the final 1.1 innings, keeping EMU hitless while only issuing one walk.
In Game 1, Averett fell behind 3-0 early as Eastern Mennonite plated three runs in the first inning. The Royals got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly, then scored on a wild pitch. The third run — unearned — came home on an RBI single to left-center. EMU added to that lead in the second with Grace Fravel's two-run homer to give the Royals a 5-0 advantage.
Averett broke through in the top of the fourth with senior
Angela Rodriguez's two-out RBI single through the left side to score sophomore
Mackenzie Newcomb, trimming the deficit to 5-1. Averett eventually loaded the bases but couldn't capitalize on a bigger inning.
The Cougars pulled within 5-2 in the fifth when Bradsher scored on an EMU error, then closed the gap to two when Newcomb scored on an error during a single to center by Rodriguez. EMU got one run back on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth, which proved to be crucial as Averett scored two runs on a Royals error in the bottom of the seventh. However, the Cougars left the tying run in scoring position as EMU escaped with a win to end a 13-game losing streak.
Bradsher went 3-for-4 in Game 1, while Newcomb and Rodriguez each finished with two hits.
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Averett returns home to face Ferrum College on Wednesday, beginning at 1 p.m.
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