BURLINGTON, N.C. – No. 12/18 Shenandoah University will make an appearance in the USA South Conference Baseball Tournament championship for the fourth straight year after downing Averett University 8-1 Saturday evening.

The Hornets (26-9) will face No. 3/3 Christopher Newport in the championship for the third consecutive time. CNU downed SU 5-3 earlier Saturday to claim its spot in the championship.

Shenandoah will need to defeat the Captains twice in order to claim the title and accompanying automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

First pitch Sunday is scheduled for noon.

SU wasted little time in jumping on the Cougars (26-18), scoring five runs on five hits off of AU starter Travis Coates (1-2) in the first.

Coates lasted just 2/3 of an inning as SU had a Kurt Krout home run, a Michael Paul RBI single and a two-run double from Tucker Brown.

After threatening in the fourth and sixth, the Hornets expanded the lead thanks to Brown and Nick Beall going deep in the seventh.

Beall had a two-run shot to right, and after Paul flied to the deepest part of the park in center, Brown took reliever Cody Spruill over the left field wall.

Brown has now hit home runs in three consecutive games.

Jeff Stanek (4-0) threw a complete game seven-hitter, allowing just a Kyle Newcomb solo HR in the second.

Stanek walked one, struck out four and had inning-ending strikeouts in the fourth and fifth.

Beall, Brown, Krout, Paul and Jake Pendergraft all had two hits on the night with Brown driving in three, Krout two and Beall two.