Danville, V.A. - North Carolina Wesleyan softball split a doubleheader on the road against Averett on March 13 at Cougar Field, falling just short in a high-scoring opener before bouncing back with a strong offensive performance in the nightcap.

In game one, the Battling Bishops rallied late but ultimately fell 12-11 in a back-and-forth contest. Averett jumped out to an early 7-0 lead through the first two innings before Wesleyan responded with three runs in the third. Aleah Jones drove in a run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and a fielding error allowed two more runs to cross the plate. The Bishops continued to chip away in the fourth as Kayla Simmons delivered an RBI single and Jaden Clark followed with a run-scoring hit to trim the deficit to 7-5. Averett answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, but Wesleyan refused to go away. In the sixth, Caleigh Warf doubled down the left field line to bring home two runs before Ragan Holloman followed with a two-RBI single. Wesleyan added two more in the seventh as Simmons doubled and later scored before Ava Strickland drove in another with a sacrifice fly. The Bishops finished with 16 hits in the contest, highlighted by four hits from Kayla Simmons and three from Holloman, but the late rally fell just short.

Wesleyan responded in game two with an offensive surge to claim a 12-7 victory and earn the split. The Bishops struck first in the opening inning when Kyiah Simmons doubled home a run before Savannah Bain brought in another to make it 2-0. Averett answered with six runs across the first two innings, but Wesleyan stormed back in the fourth inning when Kyiah Simmons delivered an RBI double and Kayla Simmons launched a three-run home run to tie the game at 6-6. The Bishops took the lead in the fifth on an RBI single from Ragan Holloman and added insurance late with a five-run seventh inning. Brooke Markiewicz drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Holloman added another RBI single, and Kyiah Simmons followed with a run-scoring hit. Savannah Bain and Samantha Hughson each added RBI during the rally to seal the 12-7 win. Holloman finished with three hits and two RBI while Kyiah Simmons and Kayla Simmons each recorded three hits to lead the 16-hit offensive effort. Ava Strickland provided strong relief in the circle, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing just one run to secure the victory.