DANVILLE, Va. – The Bridgewater bats came to life Wednesday as the Eagles scored 20 runs on 17 hits to defeat the Averett Cougars, 20-4 in non-conference baseball action. The contest was halted at the conclusion of the eighth inning.

The win was the fourth straight for Bridgewater as the Eagles improve to 5-1. Averett drops to 2-10 on the season.

The Eagles scored four runs in their first at-bat and never looked back. Austin Batten walked to lead off the first inning and Parker Mead followed with a sacrifice bunt. A throwing error allowed Mead to reach safely and Batten raced around the bases to score on the play for a 1-0 Bridgewater lead. Mead moved to third on a single by Chris King and scored on an infield grounder by Brett Jones to make it 2-0. Jacob Talley reached on another Averett error and Jake Bailey and Phillip Herber followed with run-scoring singles to put the Eagles up 4-0.

Bridgewater made it 5-0 in the second when Batten doubled and scored on a base hit by Jones.

The Cougars nicked Bridgewater starter Justin Showalter for three runs in the bottom of the second to pull to within 5-3, but the Eagles scored one in the fourth and then pulled away with a five-run outburst in the fifth. Talley plated a run with a single in the fourth inning to put the Eagles up 6-3. Kevin Navedo got things started in the fifth with a double and Herber followed with a run-scoring single to make it 7-3. Herber then swiped second and scored on a single by Batten as the lead increased to 8-3. Mead walked and King was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Jones cleared the sacks with a three-run double to put the Eagles on top 11-3.

Bridgewater added two runs in the sixth and, after Averett tallied once in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles scored four more in the seventh. Navedo and Andrew Berry both walked and Michael Morgan singled to load the bases in the seventh. Mead then doubled down the left-field line and all three runners scored, making the score 16-3. Mead came around to score on a single by King for a 17-4 Eagles' lead.

The Eagles closed out their scoring with a three-run eighth. Berry was hit by a pitch and Herber walked, setting the stage for Morgan and the Eagles' freshman belted the first homer of his career, a three-run shot to left, making the score 20-4.

Showalter picked up the win as he allowed three earned runs on nine hits in five innings of work. The senior lefty struck out three and walked two. Kyle Hasforth allowed one run in his one inning on the mound while Johnny LaVoie and Ian Mayes each pitched a scoreless inning.

Jones was 2-for-5 in the contest and drove home six runs to power the offense. King was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and one run batted in while Herber was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two runs batted in. Mead finished  2-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs while Morgan was 2-for4 with three RBIs. Batten finished 2-for-6 with three runs scored and two runs batted in.

The Eagles return to action Saturday when they host Oneonta State for two games. First pitch is slated for noon.