SALEM, Va. — Postseason play is all about surviving to see another game. Averett University softball held off a late rally by Shenandoah University to survive 13-12 an Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament elimination game on Sunday afternoon to advance to Monday.
Earlier in the day, Averett lost to No 6 Virginia Wesleyan University — the top seed in the ODAC — 9-1 in five innings to open pod play at the tournament. The loss to the Marlins sent Averett into a win-or-go-home game against Shenandoah hours later, which the Cougars won.
After a tough to begin the day, Averett (18-24) came out strong against Shenandoah by scoring five runs over the first two innings. The Cougars scored three runs, including one apiece on RBI doubles from sophomore
Kadence Woodlief and freshman
Brianna Brooks, in the first inning, then tacked on two more runs from sacrifice flies in the second.
Averett, which led 8-3 through five innings, plated four more runs in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 12-3. It proved to be crucial as Shenandoah answered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap to 12-7.
Sophomore
Ally Testerman's RBI single up the middle in the top of the seventh, which made the score 13-8, seemed like a bonus run. It turned out to be much more instrumental. Shenandoah inched closer with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, then pulled within one run, 13-12, on a grand slam to left field — all with no outs. After a lineout to the pitcher, the Hornets got back-to-back singles to put the tying run at second base and the winning run at first. Junior right-hander
Hannah Zabik induced a pair of infield popups for the final two outs as the Cougars took a deep exhale by surviving in the seventh inning.
The two teams combined for 25 runs and 37 hits.
Averett was left by sophomore
Carson Bradsher's 5-for-6 effort at the plate, but three hits and five RBIs from Woodlief and two hits and three RBIs from Brooks.
Zabik (12-11), who started the game and eventually came back in to finish the game, allowed just five runs — four earned — to earn the win.
Averett advances to face the University of Lynchburg in another Pod 1 elimination game on Monday at 1 p.m. Lynchburg lost 2-1 to Virginia Wesleyan in their winner's bracket game later Sunday night. The winner of Averett-Lynchburg will advance to play Virginia Wesleyan at 4 p.m. Monday.
In its first game of the day, Averett stayed within striking distance early against nationally ranked Virginia Wesleyan. After giving up a run in the first inning and two runs in the second, Averett sophomore
Mackenzie Newcomb tagged and scored on a deep popup to shortstop to get the Cougars back within 3-1 in the third.
The Marlins, however, exploded for five runs in the fourth and added another run in the fifth to pull away and end the game early.
Woodlief had two of Averett's three hits against Virginia Wesleyan.
The winners of the two four-team pods will advance to a championship series late in the week.
Â
