BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – Bridgewater baseball swept Averett Saturday in a doubleheader featuring a complete game shutout by Cam Nuckols in the first game and a pair of deep balls by Nick Stavros and Zack Chadwell in the second game of ODAC play.

The Eagles won the first game, 12-0 (winning in seven innings with run rule) and took the second game, 12-3 against Averett in ODAC play.

Records: BCE (15-8-1 OVR, 7-2-1 ODAC), AU (13-8 OVR, 5-5 ODAC)

How It Happened
Game 1
• Bridgewater starting pitcher, Cam Nuckols took command throughout the game on the mound, while the Eagles secured breathing room with explosive scoring surges to give them the cushion to hold down a hefty lead the whole game.
• The Eagles got the bats going early with a four-run opening inning. Baserunners were aggressive on the base path as Bransen Hensley worked a scored run on a passed ball. Trent Holland delivered with a ripped single up the middle to knock in Chandler Valbak. The offense kept firing as Ashton Smith laced a single through the right side for Zack Chadwell to score. Then, in an attempt to steal Lucas Bauer caused a distraction in the infield drawing up a throwing error to help bring Holland in for the 4-0 opening lead.
• Next inning, Holland broke the score open even further as Chadwell, Valbak, and Nick Stavros stood on the bases. Holland belted a huge shot over the left field wall for the grand slam enlarging the lead to 8-0.
• As Nuckols held down the Averett offense into the late innings, the Eagles kept attacking at the plate. In the sixth, Chadwell found an open spot in left center field to drive in Stavros and Hensley.

Game 2
• Similar to the first game, the Eagles pounded runs early to give them a quick cushion and breathing room the rest of the way. Evan Bert was able to get out of a jam in multiple innings, igniting the offense to bring in run support.
• In the second inning, Bransen Hensley lasered a double for a two-run knock, bringing in Jake Harris and Bryce Suters. The Eagles continued on in the inning as Nick Stavros located a pitch in the heart of the zone launching a two-run bomb over the right field wall. Zack Chadwell followed that up with an opposite-field home run helping to send in Chandler Valbak for the 6-0 lead after two.
• Then, BCE pulled off good situational hitting in the fourth with a sacrifice fly by Valbak to help Stavros score. After the pitching change to relieve the strong performance by Bert on the mound, runners came around third to score with back-to-back RBI doubles dwindling the lead to four runs at 7-3.
• Without being held back, the Eagles came ready to add more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Stavros started the frame with an RBI single. Soon after, Holland with the hot bat lined a bases-clearing double to the wall in right field, bringing around Chadwell, Stavros, and Harris. The Eagles then topped the score off with a hustle play by Hensley to beat out the throw over to first and to help score in Suters for the 12th run of the second game, closing out the sweep in the doubleheader.

Game Notes
Game 1
• Cam Nuckols moved his record to 2-2 with an impressive complete game shutout while striking out eight batters on five hits.
• Trent Holland added his third home run of the season with his grand slam. Holland rounded out the first game with a strong hitting performance overall, logging five RBIs on two hits and two scored runs.
• The Eagles played the ball cleanly without giving up any errors, while the Cougars were struck with a throwing error in the first inning.

Game 2
• Although a nine-run deficit for the Cougars, both teams came close to even with hits as the Cougars logged eight hits and the Eagles had 10.
• Nick Stavros became a highly effective offensive weapon, totaling three runs, two hits, and three RBIs. Stavros launched his first home run of the season.
• Evan Bert delivered successfully from the mound earning his third win of the season with a final stat line of five innings pitched on three hits, zero runs, and five strikeouts.

Up Next
The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday, April 1 against Marymount at home.

—BC Athletics —