DANVILLE, Va. -- The Bates baseball team scored five times in the second inning to grab the lead for good in a 9-5 victory over Averett University Thursday afternoon in the season-opener for the Bobcats.

As is often the case in America's National Pastime, a lead-off walk got the offense going in the top of the second. Junior Ben Genser (Newton, Mass.) drew the walk, and one out later first-year Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) bunted his way aboard for his first collegiate hit. Senior captain Jack Brennan (West Hartford, Conn.) reached on an error to load the bases and sophomore Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) singled home a pair of runs to break a 1-1 tie. Margiloff stole second base and junior Brandon Biggane (Rensselaer, N.Y.) singled in Brennan to put the Bobcats up 4-1. Sophomore Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) drove in Margiloff with a sacrifice fly, making the score 5-1. Biggane proceeded to steal second base, setting up senior captain Chris Cimino (Scarborough, Maine), who singled him home for a 6-1 advantage.

Averett (1-8) got one back in the third, but Bates answered with an insurance run in the fourth. Sullivan and Cimino drew back-to-back walks to start the frame. Then they pulled off a double steal and a Genser sacrifice fly made it 7-2. 

The hosts made it interesting when they chased Bates starting pitcher senior Luke Linnehan (Hingham, Mass.) by scoring three times in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Bates lead to 7-5. Linnehan ended up getting a no-decision, tossing three and a third innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits.

Holding on to a two-run lead, the Bobcats faced runners at the corners for Averett with only one out in the fifth inning. First-year Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) entered the game out of the bullpen and put out the fire, with some help from senior catcher Dylan Azcárate (Tiburon, Calif.), who caught a runner stealing. Hobbs walked a batter but got a big strikeout to end the inning.

Hobbs (1-0) retired the side in order in the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh, giving him five K's in his collegiate debut in 2.2 innings of scoreless ball.

Senior Jack Potash (Stratford, Conn.) entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with Bates still up 7-5. He worked around a one-out single to preserve the lead. Then the Bobcats picked up two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. With one out, Sullivan singled and Cimino doubled him to third. Pinch hitter first-year Henry Prince (McLean, Va.) came through with a sacrifice fly and Genser singled in Cimino for a 9-5 lead.

Potash left two stranded in the ninth to secure the save. 

Both teams tallied a bunch of hits, with Bates finishing with 11 and Averett checking in with 12. But both teams also left a lot of runners on base. The Bobcats stranded 17 and Averett left 14 runners on the base paths.

Cimino finished 3-4 with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and two walks. Biggane went 2-6 with a run scored and an RBI. Genser and Margiloff both drove in a pair of runs.

Kevin Zischke homered for the hosts and Mason Williams finished 4-5 at the dish. Averett starter Halen Lowman (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs (two earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings pitched.

Bates (1-0) returns to action Friday at 3pm when the Bobcats visit Hampden-Sydney College.