DANVILLE, V.A. – The William Peace University baseball team put up a strong effort but came up short in an 8-4 loss to Averett University on Tuesday afternoon at Owen-Fulton Field. The Pacers tallied 11 hits but were unable to overcome defensive miscues and timely hitting from the Cougars.

The Pacers struck early, plating two runs in the top of the 1st inning. Eddie Sanchez and Jacob Herzberg got on base with singles, setting up a sacrifice fly from Nevin Norville, followed by an RBI double from Aaron Kimbel to take a 2-0 lead.

Averett responded quickly in the bottom of the frame, capitalizing on a pair of defensive errors to score three runs, giving them a 3-2 advantage. They then extended their lead to 4-2 on a play at the plate in the fourth inning. 

The Pacers clawed back in the 6th inning, scoring two runs after Nicholas Weisner delivered a 2-RBI single up the middle to bring WPU within one run, 5-4. However, errors proved costly for WPU in the bottom half, as Averett capitalized on three defensive mistakes to push across two unearned runs, making it 7-4.

The Cougars tacked on another insurance run in the 7th inning, and the Pacers were unable to generate offense late despite a leadoff single in the 9th.

The Pacers next match up is Saturday, March 22, where they head to Staunton, V.A. to face Mary Baldwin.