DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University baseball split Saturday's ODAC doubleheader against No. 13 Bridgewater College.
Averett (8-14, 3-7 ODAC) lost Game 1 before keeping Bridgewater (20-4, 4-4 ODAC) in check to take a victory in Game 2, with the day's final scores reading: 5-6, 7-3.
Bridgewater struck first in the second inning before the Cougars answered in the fifth on an RBI single from junior
Joshua Gunn. Averett then surged ahead with a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by an RBI single from junior
Tyler Lowe and a two-run double by freshman
Daniel Powell Jr. to take a 5–1 lead.
The Eagles cut into the deficit with a two-run home run in the eighth inning before completing the comeback in the ninth with three runs to reclaim the lead.
Powell Jr. led Averett with two RBIs, while Lowe and Gunn each drove in a run. The Cougars finished with six hits in Game 1.
Averett came out of the gates hot in Game 2. The Cougars mounted three runs in the top of the second, jumping out to an advantage before the Bridgewater bats had a chance to wake up. Averett's early runs came courtesy of some old fashioned small ball. Senior
Connor Kubis started the scoring with a single up the middle, senior
Luke Keister batted in a run with a ground out, and senior
Austin Ford capped off the three-run inning with a single to left field.
Averett kept Bridgewater at arm's length for the rest of Game 2. Each time the Eagles managed to put a run on the board, Averett found a way to respond. Gunn and Ford put tallies on the board in the third and fourth innings respectively, each coming off of RBI singles.
The Cougars sealed the deal in the seventh inning with another big swing from Kubis, a double to right field, before a wild pitch allowed another run to score, extending Averett's lead to 7-3.
Sophomore's
Cade Sabin and
Corbin Mickle combined to lock Bridgewater down in the late innings. Sabin hurled three innings of one run ball, while Mickle earned the save in the ninth with a strikeout to end things. Junior
Jack Turner also delivered a quality outing on the mound, going four innings and striking out five Eagles while allowing just one run.
Kubis and Ford led Averett with two RBIs each, while sophomore
Nathan Michalowicz and junior
Drew Skinner both recorded two hits.
Averett baseball will be back on home turf to take on Regent University on Monday, March 30, at 2 p.m.
