HARRISONBURG, Va. — Averett University baseball fell in both games of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader against Eastern Mennonite University.
Averett (13-22, 5-15 ODAC) lost twice to Eastern Mennonite (14-24, 3-17 ODAC) in the Cougars' final series of the 2026 season.
Game 1 was a tight pitchers duel between the Cougars and Royals, where the home side ultimately came away with a 3-1 victory. Sophomore
Ean Amerson pitched five innings and allowed just three runs while striking out two EMU batters. Junior
Joshua Gunn added 2.2 scoreless innings, and senior
Michael Pellegrino came on to record the final out for Averett.
Averett's lone run in Game 1 came in the ninth inning as the Cougars attempted to mount a rally. Sophomore
Nathan Michalowicz worked a walk to leadoff the inning and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Sophomore
Preston Corbitt stepped up as a pinch hitter and singled to drive Michalowicz home, keeping his batting average at a perfect 1.000 for the season.
Game 2 saw the bats wake up on both sides, with the Royals winning 11-6. Averett jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Senior
Luke Keister led off with a walk, junior
Tyler Lowe laced a double to right center, and sophomore
Austin Ford opened the game with an RBI single to center. Michalowicz added an RBI on a fielder's choice, and senior
Connor Kubis capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Averett's third run.
The Royals fought back with runs in the second and third before striking for four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead. Averett answered with two runs in the fifth inning, with the top of the order once again providing the spark. Keister led off with a single, Lowe walked, and Ford singled to load the bases. Junior
Drew Skinner earned an RBI the hard way, taking a hit by pitch to drive a run home, and Kubis worked a walk to force the second run of the inning across the plate.Â
The Cougars added one more run in the sixth inning as Keister and Lowe again led the charge. Keister doubled to left, Lowe tripled to right, in a sequence that would tie the game up at 6-6 at the time. EMU responded, scoring runs in the sixth and seventh before pulling away with a three-spot in the eighth to seal the deal in Game 2.
Ford led Averett across both games with three hits, while Keister and Lowe each contributed two hits. Kubis led the way in RBIs, as five Cougars tied with one run knocked in.
Averett baseball will miss out on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference postseason, coming up four games short of the eighth-seed. The offseason begins as Averett will turn its attention to the 2027 campaign.
