DANVILLE, Va. - The Washington and Lee University baseball team dropped a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) games at Averett University on Saturday afternoon.
GAME ONE | AU 5, W&L 4
- The Cougars (11-3, 6-1 ODAC) got on the board early as back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases. Preston Robbins ripped a single up the middle to give Averett a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
- Averett extended its lead to five in the bottom of the third after a pair of errors loaded the bases. Nick Romano reached first on a fielder's choice, plating a pair of runs following a throwing error by the Generals. Romano then came around to score on a Kevin Zischke sacrifice fly, putting AU up 5-0.
- The Generals (5-7, 1-6 ODAC) loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth after Paul Ramseur and Camdyn Teague singled and Oakley Rempel drew a walk. Nathan DeWitte pinch-hit for W&L and drove in Ramseur on a sacrifice fly to center field, cutting the deficit to four.
- With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Nick Lagges reached base on an error before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Andrew Thornton drew a walk before Ramseur cleared the bases with a double to right-center. Rempel then drove in Ramseur from second with a single, bringing the score to 5-4 in favor of the Cougars.
- Averett's pitching staff allowed no hits in the final two innings to secure a 5-4 game one win.
GAME TWO | AU 9, W&L 0
- Just like in game one, Averett struck first, taking an early lead with a three-run first inning. Zischke led off with a triple before Trevor Testerman walked to put two runners on. Nolan Maccabe doubled to left-center, driving in Zischke, before a sacrifice fly plated Testerman. Tyler Lowe drove in Maccabe for the third run of the inning with a single down the left-field line.
- Caden Grider singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning before moving to third on back-to-back ground outs. Testerman drove him in with a single up the middle before coming around to score on a Robbins double to left field, putting AU up 5-0.
- Robbins picked up another RBI in the bottom of the fourth when Testerman drew a walk to start the inning before coming around to score on a single from Robbins, extending the Cougars' lead to six.
- Averett tacked on three more runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-0 lead. The Cougars shut down W&L's offense in the final three innings, allowing just one hit to secure the sweep.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals dropped their fifth consecutive game, falling to 5-7 on the season with a 1-6 mark in conference play. W&L's 15-game winning streak against the Cougars was snapped on Saturday.
- Oakley Rempel led the offense with a 2-for-3 (.667) effort at the plate, recording an RBI and a walk. Paul Ramseur registered a team-high three hits, posting a .333 batting average (3-for-9) with two RBI.
- John Benner (1-2) was credited with the loss in game one after allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and five walks while striking out four batters in five innings of work. Matt Fleming (1-2) took the loss in game two after allowing five earned runs on six hits with two walks in 1.2 innings on the mound.
AVERETT GAME NOTES
- The Cougars moved to 11-3 on the season while remaining undefeated in ODAC play (4-0) and extending their winning streak to six games.
- Drew Skinner paced the AU offense in game one with a 2-for-5 effort, while Preston Robbins drove in a pair of runs. In game two, Trevor Testerman, Nolan Maccabe, Robbins, and J.C. Barry each recorded two hits, with Robbins leading the team with three RBI.
- Ean Amerson (3-0) picked up his third win of the season after allowing one earned run on six hits with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Jake Braun earned the save in game one, tossing two shutout innings. Cole McLain (3-1) earned the win on the mound in game two after throwing six shutout innings, allowing six hits, and striking out six batters.
UP NEXT
- The Generals continue ODAC play on Wednesday, March 19 as they take on Bridgewater College at 3 p.m.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
