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BURLINGTON, N.C. — Seventh-seeded Averett University held off No. 2 seed Methodist University in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 2-1 upset in the first round of the USA South Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Averett (14-22-1) led 1-0 entering the ninth inning, but the Cougars added another run when
Jake Loye beat out a two-out bunt that allowed
Adam Higgins to score from third.
That proved to be crucial in the bottom half of the inning. Averett left-hander
Jon Walker, who relieved
Ben Hildreth at the start of the ninth inning, gave up a leadoff walk. Walker got the next two batters to fly out and strike out, respectively, to leave the Cougars one out away from victory.
But Methodist’s Brian Goodwin doubled down the right-field line, which scored Doug Furlong from first. Walker got out of the jam thanks to a pop out to first base to end the game and complete the upset of the Monarchs (24-11).
Walker earned his second save of the season, while Hildreth notched the victory to improve to 6-5 overall.
Averett plays No. 6 seed Ferrum College at 9 a.m. Friday in Burlington. Methodist will play No. 3 seed Christopher Newport University at 9:30 a.m. at Elon University.
Averett broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning when Higgins scored on Michael Moore’s bunt single.
The Cougars had multiple opportunities to score prior to the seventh inning, but they couldn’t get a timely hit. Overall Averett left 12 runners on base, including eight in scoring position.