Danville, Va. -- Lynchburg College's softball team gutted out a pair of close wins Tuesday afternoon on the road, taking down Averett by scores of 5-1 and 3-1 for a non-conference sweep.

Hornet pitching allowed just eight hits in a spectacular day. Sophomore right-hander Alex Cisar (Sykesville, Md.) threw well in the opener, allowing just four hits and one run over six innings, and freshman righty Kayley Cox (Yorktown, Va.) was dominant in Game 2 with six innings of scoreless, two-hit ball. Junior right-hander Taylor Belknap (Arden, N.C.) closed out both games, earning a save in the nightcap.

Junior third baseman Taylor Mabry (Bassett, Va.) and sophomore designated player Sarah Commons (Glen Allen, Va.) led the charge at the plate, each driving in two runs on the day. The pair combined for nine hits and each scored a run.

LC sweeps the season series in 2018, having also beat the Cougars on Feb. 24 at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Cary, N.C.

THE RUNDOWN

Game 1 Final: Lynchburg 5, Averett 1

Game 2 Final: Lynchburg 3, Averett 1

Records: Lynchburg 24-10, Averett 19-24

Venue: Cougar Field, Averett University North Campus, Danville, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1

• Lynchburg got on the board with a pair of runs in the top of the third, sparked when senior center fielder Skylar Dickens (Virginia Beach, Va.) reached on a two-out error. Dickens stole second and came around to score on junior first baseman Mackenzie Chitwood's RBI double. Chitwood then scored on an RBI knock by Mabry for a 2-0 LC lead.

• The Hornets doubled their lead an inning later when sophomore shortstop Kayla Hugate (Chesterfield, Va.) brought home a pair with a triple.

• Cisar cruised until the sixth, when a leadoff double came around to score on an RBI groundout.

• LC added another run in the seventh on Commons' RBI groundout.

Game 2

• Wasting no time getting on the board in the nightcap, senior second baseman Leslie Bourgeois (Bealeton, Va.) brought home the first run when she reached on an infield error in the top of the first. Two batters later, Commons drove in Mabry with a single.

• Mabry drove in another run with some small ball an inning later, dropping down a bunt and beating the throw to the bag and bringing home freshman right fielder Jordyne Vance (Lynchburg, Va.) on the squeeze play.

• Cox dazzled in the circle, running her scoreless-innings streak to 13 ⅓ with her six shutout frames. Averett broke up the shutout with a run in the top of the seventh, but Belknap hung on for the save.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lynchburg returns to Old Dominion Athletic Conference play come the weekend when Emory & Henry pays a visit to Moon Field on Saturday, April 21 for a double-dip. The Hornets will celebrate its four seniors between games.

--LC--