For the second time in the three-game weekend series at Averett, the Mary Baldwin baseball team came one run short of recording its first ever varsity victory.  The Fighting Squirrels, who fell at Averett 10-9 Friday, dropped both ends of a doubleheader Sunday by scores of 12-5 and 7-6.

In the opener, Averett scored in each of the first three innings to gain a 5-0 lead.  MBU bounced back in the fourth with three runs, highlighted by a two-run Noah Kessler double.  Kessler added another RBI double in the sixth and pushed a run home on an infield grounder in the eighth, but Averett gradually pulled away over the final five innings for a seven-run victory. 

Tucker Hensley had a walk, hit and run scored while Ty Webster chipped in a triple and a run scored for MBU.  Averett's attack was led by third baseman Brandt Brophy, who was 4-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI, along with shortstop Ryan Traylor, who was 3-for-5 with four RBI.

In the nightcap, freshman centerfielder Michael Robertson jump started the offense in the first inning, then tied the game in the top of the ninth, before Averett scored the game-winner on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth.

Robertson opened the game with the first of his three hits and moved around to score on a Jared Mayhew knock.  Dylan Rankin also scored in the top of the first on a bases-loaded fielder's choice off the bat of Kessler for a 2-0 MBU lead. 

Averett answered in the bottom of the first with four runs, highlighted by a Brophy two-run single, and added two more in the sixth, the last scoring on an error.

MBU battled back with single runs in the fifth on a Mayhew single, in the seventh on Robertson's first homer of the season and in the ninth when Robertson walked, stole second and scored on a Jacob King base hit.  But the Cougars completed the doubleheader sweep by scoring the game-winner in the home ninth inning on a sacrifice fly.

In addition to Robertson's three hits, Mayhew and King each chipped in two of MBU's 10 hits in the game.

The Fighting Squirrels continue their inaugural varsity season Tuesday at Staunton's Moxie Field with a 3 p.m. single game against Methodist University.  Wednesday, MBU travels to Greensboro for the first two of a three-game series beginning at 4 p.m.