DANVILLE, Va. – The W&L baseball team opened the 2022 season with a pair of wins over Averett, 3-2 and 13-2, in a Saturday doubleheader on the road.

The two wins start the Generals at 2-0 overall this season, and it also marks the 49th and 50th career wins for Head Coach Ted White. Averett starts off the 2022 season at 0-2. 

The Generals struck first in game one when junior center fielder Mitchell Salvino (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) hit a solo home run to left in the top of the second inning. W&L then added its second and third runs in the fifth on back-to-back RBI triples from junior left fielder Zach Perkins (Vienna, Va./James Madison) and senior second baseman Chapin Bassi (Concord, N.H./St. Paul's School).
 
Averett senior second baseman Nate Tuck cut the W&L lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single through the right side, which was Averett's only hit of the game. Senior first baseman Brandon Hatcher then drove in a run on a ground out in the sixth to bring the Cougars back within one.
 
The Cougars managed to get the tying run to third base in the bottom of the seventh inning, but W&L sophomore right-hander Ashwin Suresh (Glen Allen, Va./Douglas S. Freeman) struck out sophomore shortstop Brandt Brophy to end the game.
 
W&L built up a two-run first-inning lead in game two on run-scoring singles from Salvino and sophomore designated hitter Drew Larsen (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run). Senior first baseman Brian Wickman (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) added a run in the third on a sac fly, before the team broke out for four runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run triple off the bat of Perkins.
 
After Averett scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, W&L tacked on its final six runs in the eighth and ninth, including five in the final inning. The Cougars scored for the final time in the bottom of the ninth on a single from first-year third baseman Cole McLain.
 
Perkins led the way at the plate for the Generals with four hits, three runs and five RBI, including a 3-for-6, two-run, four-RBI performance in game two. Bassi, Larsen and first-year catcher Campbell Charneco (Clifton, Va./Centreville) notched two hits and an RBI each in the second game. In total, seven different hitters finished game two with at least one hit, one run and one RBI apiece.
 
First-year right-hander Jack Cope (Chevy Chase, Md./Landon School) (1-0) earned the game-one win after tossing five innings and allowing one run on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts. Suresh worked the final two innings to earn his first career save, striking out three.
 
Sophomore lefty Thomas Haller (Round Hill, Va./Woodgrove) (1-0) earned the win in game two after working six scoreless innings and striking out six. Junior righty Derek Hughes (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft School) was first out of the bullpen, and he allowed three runs (one earned) while striking out five in 2.2 innings. First-year right-hander Jimmy Horvath (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) forced a ground out for the final out of the second game.
 
Tuck had one hit in both games for the Cougars, while first-year first baseman Joseph Allen and first-year right fielder Kevin Zischke each tallied two hits in game two. Senior right-hander Avery Spicer (0-1) and junior righty Tyler Nuckols (0-1) were the Averett pitchers of record. Spicer went six innings and allowed three earned runs with nine strikeouts in game one, while Nuckols surrendered seven earned on nine hits in 3.1 innings in the second game.
 
The Generals will return to action on Tuesday when they host Averett at 4:00 pm to complete the three-game series.