BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College baseball team (2-0) took both games of its season-opening doubleheader over Averett University (0-2) on Friday afternoon at Gil Coan Field to open up the 2024 campaign.
The Tornados utilized a complete-game performance by sophomore left-handed pitcher Connor Crosby in a 3-1 victory in game one, followed by a 16-run offensive explosion in game two as both sides combined for 28 runs in BC's 16-12 triumph.
The 2023 USA South Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year picked up right where he left off last season as Crosby delivered a complete-game outing in the first contest of 2024. The Tampa, Florida native went all seven innings, allowing just five base hits and one run with six strikeouts as the Tornados kept the Cougars at bay in the first game of the twin bill.
Junior infielder Davis Bryson's two-RBI single in the bottom of the second inning proved to be the difference, as his shot up the middle brought Lucas Granata and Frankie Vasquez around to score and handed Crosby the lead back, 2-1.
Crosby and the Tornado defense shut down the Cougar offense in the next three frames before the Tornados added insurance in the bottom of the fifth inning. Luke Morton kickstarted the inning with a one-out walk that was followed by an infield single by Cale Oehler. Two wild pitches brought Morton around to score, making it a 3-1 ballgame.
Averett got a two-out single in the top of the sixth, but could not do further damage. Crosby capped the seven-inning CG off with a pair of swinging strikeouts and a fly out, as the Tornados clinched the two-run win.
Pridmore notched a two-hit performance in game one, while Granata and Vasquez also recorded singles alongside of Davis and Oehler's. Averett's Jack Turner plated the lone run for the Cougars in game one with an RBI double in the top of the second.
The two sides combined for 28 runs in the back-half of the doubleheader, as a back-and-forth offensive onslaught ensued with three ties and three lead changes. Following a six-run top of the fourth, Brevard scored seven unanswered runs over the next two frames to take an 11-8 lead. Averett scored twice in the sixth, but BC answered right back as Logan Clark struck a two-RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth, followed by two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Averett hit a pair of solo home runs in the top of the eighth to cut the deficit back down to three runs, but Brevard scored one in the bottom of the eighth, and Ethan Coleman locked it down for BC in the top of the ninth as Brevard wrapped up the wild 16-12 victory.
Clark went 4-for-6 with a game-high five RBI and a run scored. Seven different Tornados recorded multiple hits in the contest, as BC racked up 19 hits and 15 RBI. CP Pyle logged his first three hits of his Tornado career with a 3-for-4 performance with a team-high four runs scored. Hayden Jennings went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Bryson, Granata, Morton, and Pridmore all had multiple hits apiece.
Andy Fahringer (1-0) earned the win for BC with two innings pitched, holding the Cougars hitless. Jacob Thompson got the start for Brevard, while Cameron Cook also got two innings of work for the Tornados.
Averett's Gavin Colwell had a game-best six RBI as five Cougars turned in multi-hit outings. Chris Byrd, Colwell, Trevor Testerman, and Kevin Zischke all hit home runs in the losing effort.
The Tornados close out their three-game series with the Cougars tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Gil Coan Field.
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