VIDEO: Averett baseball gets walk-off single in 11th to hand N.C. Wesleyan its first USA South loss
An extra-inning win is always sweet. An extra-inning victory against a conference rival is sweeter. An extra-inning win over a conference foe following an extra-inning defeat the previous game is the sweetest …
DANVILLE, Va. — An extra-inning win is always sweet. An extra-inning victory against a conference rival is sweeter. An extra-inning win over a conference foe following an extra-inning defeat the previous game is the sweetest.
Averett University baseball experienced all three, especially the later, on Sunday afternoon against N.C. Wesleyan College.
Senior Avery Spicer scored junior Nolan Maccabe with his fielder’s choice to second base in the 11th inning to help Averett pick up a 9–8 walk-off victory over N.C. Wesleyan in USA South Conference action at Owen-Fulton Field.
Maccabe started off the frame with a single up the middle and senior Brandon Hatcher followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Senior Jason Maggs advanced Maccabe to third with his fly out to right field and Spicer went sliding into first head-first to beat out the throw on his fielder’s choice that scored Maccabe with the game-winning run.
“It’s first and third with one out so I don’t want to hit a ball right to a defender and give up a double play that doesn’t let Nolan score so I’m going up with the mindset to hit the ball backside and hit a line drive up the middle back side,” Spicer said when asked his approach. “I don’t want to think about pulling anything, trying to be a hero, I just want to put the ball in play and let the game play out.”
Hustling down the third-base line, Maccabe kept his approach simple as well.
“Just trying to get a good jump and not trying to do too much,” Maccabe said. “Trying to see the ball if it’s on the ground, score so that way if Spice beats it out, we win the game.”
Revenge is always a dish best served cold, and the Cougars served up a little bit against the Battling Bishops not even 24 hours after dropping an 11-inning marathon to N.C. Wesleyan Saturday afternoon.
“It’s fantastic, revenge is sweet,” Spicer said. “That’s a very competitive, very good team, they’re ranked №1 in the conference right now, they’ve got some nationally-ranked votes so it’s great to come out here and show them what we can do and take it in 11.”
Hatcher’s reply was short and to the point, “It’s sweet,” he added.
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Maccabe concluded by saying, “Especially after yesterday, it’s déjà vu and we weren’t going to let it happen twice.”
N.C. Wesleyan (15–10, 8–1 USA South) entered the top of the ninth facing an 8–4 deficit. Tyson Bass trimmed it to two with his two-run home run to left field and Jackson Hobbs and Zach Lyon followed with singles to put the tying runs on base. The Battling Bishops got daring on the base paths, pulling off a controversial double steal that was unsuccessfully protested for batter’s interference on the throw to third. Moments later, N.C. Wesleyan tied the game on a two-run throwing error on Drifton Padgett’s ground out.
Averett (10–17, 4–5) appeared to have broken the game open in the sixth when they plated a pair of runs on Maccabe’s home run to left, the first of his career, that gave the Cougars a commanding 8–2 lead.
“It was great, in the moment I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball and do a job, get the run in, and had a good swing on it, connected well and it found a way out,” Maccabe said. “That was a little extra cherry on top.”
The Battling Bishops’ comeback got started in earnest in the seventh on Bass’ RBI triple to right and Hobbs’ sacrifice fly that scored Bass and trimmed the deficit to 8–4.
A tight affair for most of the day, the two sides entered the bottom of the third tied at two. However, the Cougars had something to say about that as they tacked on four runs in the frame. Hatcher scored on a throwing error on senior Nate Tuck’s ground ball to short and freshman Caden Grider followed with an RBI single that made it a 4–2 contest. Freshman Joseph Allen pushed Averett’s advantage to three with his run-scoring single to right-center and Grider scored on a wild pitch to make it a 6–2 game.
The Cougars stole the momentum early, scoring a pair of runs on Spicer’s two-run single to right-center that gave Averett a 2–0 lead after one full inning.
Things continued looking up for Averett in the second as Blake Scott worked a lead-off walk and Padgett moved him into scoring position with a double down the line in right. Averett right-hander Nathan Comer followed with a strikeout for the second out but Jaiden Barker worked a walk to load the bases. Comer wasn’t fazed, though, and induced a ground out to second to end the threat and keep the Cougars in front.
Scott and Padgett knotted the score at 2–2 in the third with their respective RBI sacrifice fly outs and double.
Hatcher led Averett with a team-high three hits.
“I’m just trying to get on a base so other guys can score me, and I’m just trying to stay up the middle and put the ball in play,” Hatcher said.
Spicer drove in a team-high three runs while Maccabe finished with a pair of RBIs. Grider and Allen drove in a run apiece as well for the Cougars.
Freshman Gavin Colwell got the win on the bump. The former Halifax standout struck out two of the three batters he faced in the 11th. Sophomore Shane Michel threw an inning of hitless relief in the 10th.
Averett returns to action April 9 when it starts a crucial three-game USA South series against Pfeiffer University at 6 p.m.
