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 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 lead off 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.
Ford 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.
The Cougars added one more run in the sixth inning as Keister and Lowe again led the charge. Keister doubled to left and Lowe tripled to right in a sequence that tied the game 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.
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.
This content is sourced from
Averett University
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