VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Averett University baseball swept Virginia Wesleyan University in ODAC play on Saturday.
Averett (15-9, 7-6 ODAC) and Virginia Wesleyan (6-14, 2-11 ODAC) fought hard throughout Saturday's doubleheader, but ultimately the Cougars earned the two-game conference sweep.
The Cougars snapped a six-game losing skid rather emphatically in their Game 1 triumph. Virginia Wesleyan struck first, however, with a run in the bottom of the second inning to take an early lead. Averett responded right away in the top of the third. The Cougars' corner outfielders combined to tie the game, as senior
Kevin Zischke drew a walk and graduate student
Nolan Maccabe singled to send him home. Averett and Virginia Wesleyan traded blows over the next few innings. The Marlins tacked on two in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, 3-1. Averett snatched a run right back thanks to senior
Nick Romano, who ripped a double down the left field line to score a runner. Virginia Wesleyan, once again, kept the lead at steady margin with a run to answer Averett's tally. With the score at 4-2 in the Marlins' favor, the tide turned the way of the Cougars.
The heart of the Averett lineup, the Cougars' muscle at the plate stepped up to bat in the fifth inning and delivered. Zischke singled to kick things off, redshirt sophomore
Trevor Testerman bunted for a single, and so too did Maccabe to load the bases. Senior
Preston Robbins hit a single through the middle of the Marlins' infield to score two runners and tie the game with four consecutive singles. Junior
J.C. Barry knocked in Averett's third run of the inning to vault the Cougars into a lead they would not give up. Averett parlayed the momentum from its three-run fifth into an even more explosive sixth inning.
This time, the Cougars' power swing was no joking matter. After a leadoff walk by Romano, senior
Mason Williams doubled to left field to put two on board for Zischke. Though it's not Tuesday, the Cougars' lefty had no objections to taking the baseball oppo taco for a three-run shot over the left field wall. Barry doubled to left center, another display of opposite field power, to send another run home and put Averett ahead 9-4.
From that point on the Cougars' bullpen kept Virginia Wesleyan's offense stymied. Freshmen
Corbin Mickle,
Maddox Warren,
Cade Sabin, and sophomore
Kendrick Sheffield combined to hold the Marlins to just one run over the game's final five innings. Averett's staff tallied eight strikeouts in Saturday's opener, led by freshman
Ean Amerson's three, while Sabin and sophomore
Will Green II, Game 1's winner, each contributed two K's to the tally.
After the morale boosting Game 1 victory, the Cougars left no doubt that they found their stride in Game 2.
Averett kept Virginia Wesleyan at arms length in the early going. Senior
Cole McLain kept up his solid 2025 campaign with a six inning quality start. McLain worked through the Marlins' lineup well, allowing just two runs while strike out three batters. All the while, Averett's offense began to mount a solid lead.
The Cougars' broke the ice in the top of the third. Averett scored two thanks to a trio of single from Maccabe, Lowe, and sophomore
Drew Skinner. Averett tacked on two more in the fourth, behind the strength of another Romano double, a pair of singles from Williams and Zischke, and a sacrifice fly from Testerman. The Cougars had Virginia Wesleyan seeing double, maybe even triple, as Averett put up a third consecutive two-run Inning in the fifth. Maccabe and Lowe got the inning started with back to back hits before a costly error allowed two Cougars to cross home plate and push the visitors' lead up to 6-2.
The game stayed quiet for a few turns at the plate before Testerman and the Cougars broke the silence. Testerman smoked a two-out triple down the left field line, and came around to score on a passed ball in the eight before Averett's bats exploded in the ninth. Averett scored six runs to cast away the Marlins' hopes at a comeback. Walks plagued Virginia Wesleyan in the inning, as the bases were loaded before Averett had to swing the bats. Six walks in total fueled Averett's six run outburst, and three errors from the Marlins paired with the walks to allow the Cougars to accomplish an impressive feat: batting around without tallying a single hit.
Averett's pitching was steady throughout the nine inning contest. McLain earned the win with his quality start, and a trio of veterans kept the game tidy out of the bullpen. Junior
Michael Pellegrino, graduate student
Shane Michel, and senior
Jake Braun pitched the final three innings while giving up just one earned run amongst them.
Maccabe, calling upon his many years of expertise, led the Cougars in hits across the two-game series. The cagey vet tallied five hits on the day, while Romano had a solid Saturday with four hits, including his two doubles. Zischke led the charge for the Cougars when it came time to drive runners home. Zischke accumulated four RBIs, thanks in large part to his Game 1 long ball.
Averett has a road date with Roanoke College looming. The Cougars have two days to rest and reset before the bus leaves for Salem, Virginia. Averett's chance at redemption, at the expense of the Maroons, is set for Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m., should Mother Nature shine kindly on the New River Valley.
