DANVILLE, Va. — Sophomore
Madison Akers' two-run, inside-the-park home run sparked Averett University softball's Game 1 comeback for a 2-1 win over Ferrum College on Wednesday. The Cougars' nearly pulled off another comeback in Game 2 but fell short 4-3 in extra innings to settle for a split.
After Ferrum (13-19, 9-9 ODAC) took a 1-0 lead thanks to an error in the third, Averett (15-19, 6-10 ODAC) caught its break in the fourth. With freshman pinch-runner
Adrianna Winters on first base, Akers hit a line drive to shallow center field. The fielder tried to make the catch and rob the hit, but the ball landed in front of her and scooted by, rolling all the way to the fence. Akers made her way around the bases and slid head-first into home for a two-run homer — the first of her career — to give Averett a 2-1 advantage.
Junior right-hander
Hannah Zabik and the Cougars' defense kept Ferrum off the scoreboard the rest of the way to earn the win in the opener. Zabik struck out seven and didn't allow an earned run over seven innings.
Junior
Mackenzie Newcomb had two of Averett's six hits.
In Game 2, Ferrum got a pinch-hit, two-out, two-out single to center field that gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Averett got one run back in the fifth on a Zabik single to center field that was misplayed, allowing sophomore
Carson Bradsher to score from first base and allowed Zabik to get to third. However, the Cougars couldn't get the tying run across that inning as Ferrum escaped the frame with a 2-1 lead.
Another RBI single by Macie Bell extended Ferrum's lead to 3-1 in the sixth.
Averett battled back to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Bradsher tripled over the head of the center fielder, allowing senior
Hannah Jones to score to get the Cougars within 3-2. Bradsher then came home on a safety squeeze bunt by Zabik to tie the game, 3-3, and force extra innings.
With the placed runner on second base to start the top of the eighth, Ferrum sacrificed the runner to third. Then, a popup to shallow right field led to a collision between to Averett fielders, allowing the ball to drop and the Panthers to score to go in front 4-3.
Although Averett got out of the inning without allowing another run, Ferrum didn't let Averett score in the bottom of the eighth to survive and earn a doubleheader split.
Bradsher went 3-for-4 in Game 2, while Zabik and freshman
Brianna Brooks each had two hits.
Averett returns to action on Thursday against Roanoke College in a rescheduled game from April. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m.
