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BURLINGTON, N.C. — Fifth-seeded Ferrum College score at least one run in every inning as the Panthers rolled past No. 6 seed Averett University 16-8 in a USA South Conference Tournament elimination game on Saturday at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Ferrum (20-12) stayed alive and will face No. 4 seed Christopher Newport University at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday night. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday's championship against No. 3 seed Shenandoah University.
Averett (25-17) cut Ferrum's lead to 10-8 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning, but Panthers answered with Caleb Dorton's pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the inning. Ferrum added two more runs in the eighth to pull away for an eight-run win.
Jordan Kidd's RBI single in the top of the first gave Averett an initial 1-0 lead, but Ferrum tied it in its at-bat on Paul Jaglowski's sacrifice fly. The Panthers went ahead 2-1 in the second on another sac fly.
The runs kept coming for Ferrum, which swept Averett during the regular season. The Panthers plated two runs in each of the next four innings, but the Cougars stayed close during that stretch. Trailing 10-6, Averett got two runs in the seventh inning to get back within two runs — one came on an
Eric McGuire solo home run to lead off the inning.
However, Ferrum shut the Cougars down the rest of the way.
Brian Bowles (3-3) notched the win, and Michael Baskeyfield pitched the final 3.1 innings to earn the save.
Ferrum combined for 17 hits, which included a 4-for-4 day for Justin Franklin, who hit a towering solo home run to right field in the sixth inning and scored four runs throughout the game.
Kidd, who hit a solo homer in the fifth inning, and
Michael Moore each had two hits for the Cougars.