BRIDGEWATER, Va. — Averett couldn't hold onto an early lead as Bridgewater College downed the Cougars 9-8 on Monday afternoon.
Averett (13-22-1) pounded Bridgewater (19-14) early en route to a 5-0 lead. The Cougars got three runs in the first inning thanks to a
Jake Loye sacrifice fly and RBI singles from
Kyle Newcomb and
Dion Wilder. They added a pair of runs in the second inning with the help of a wild pitch and an
Eric McGuire RBI single.
Bridgewater bounced back in the bottom half of the second inning by scoring a pair of runs. The Eagles tied the game at 5-5 in the third.
Averett regained the lead in the fourth inning on a two-run double by Loye, but Bridgewater matched them in the bottom of the inning with a pair of RBI singles.
The Eagles plated a run in the sixth and seventh innings to go ahead 9-7. Averett pulled back to within one on
Matt Mitchell's sacrifice fly, but it wasn't enough.
Averett will begin play in the USA South Conference Tournament on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against No. 2 seed Methodist University in Burlington, N.C.