A day after their home opener of the 2011 season, the Eastern Mennonite baseball team was on the road again Sunday, playing at Averett. The Cougars held EMU to just seven hits over the two seven-inning games and swept the day by 3-0 and 3-1 scores.

Averett 3, EMU 0
Box Score
Junior Andy Richter (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) locked up with Averett's Cody Moore in a great pitchers' duel in game one, but came out with the loss despite allowing just one earned run.

The game was scoreless into the bottom of the fifth, when the Cougars plated two unearned runs. Averett added one more in the sixth, which scored on a double play.

EMU mounted a two-out rally in the top of the seventh as Dylan Smith (Sterling, Va./Park View) roped a single to right and Beau Banglesdorf (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) reached on an error. But Michael Wade (New Hope, Va./Fort Defiance) struck out and the Royals took the 3-0 loss.

Richter pitched all six innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run. He also walked four batters and was victimized by two EMU errors.

Averett 3, EMU 1
Box Score
After a quiet first 2-1/2 innings, the Cougars broke loose in the bottom of the third. Four hits and two errors turned into three runs, as Averett jumped ahead.

The Royals finally got on the board in the fifth. Adrian Perez (Miami, Fl./Doral Academy) led off with a single to center and scored when fellow freshman Ryan McAlister (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) laced a two-out single to make it 3-1.

That was it for EMU, however, as the Cougars retired seven straight batters to end the game.

Logan Toney (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester) got his first start of the year and allowed six hits and three runs over 5-2/3 innings, also taking the loss.

McAlister went 2-3 with an RBI in the game and had half of EMU's four hits.

The losses drop the Royals to 3-7 on the year. They begin a seven-game homestand on Wednesday when Shenandoah comes to Harrisonburg for a single game. Start time against the preseason No. 7 Hornets is 3:00pm.