CLOSE, BUT....

There's an old saying in auto racing – “it's one thing to catch up to somebody, but it's something completely different to pass them.”

There's no doubt Concord's Softball team is catching up to the top-tier teams in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. After finishing at the bottom of the league standings each of the prior three seasons, winning a total of eight games in the process, the Lady Lions have won more than 20 games this season and are on the verge of clinching a spot in next week's WVIAC Tournament.

But there's a difference between catching up and passing. On its final road trip of the regular season, Concord met two teams from the conference's upper half, and despite being outscored by only two runs, lost three of four games.

The Lady Lions split a doubleheader at eighth-place Seton Hill on Friday, April 23^rd (losing 7-6 in nine innings in game one and winning game two 7-5), then got swept at third-place Fairmont State on Saturday, April 24^th (3-1 and 5-4).

Seton Hill scored single runs in the 3^rd and 4^th. Concord tallied in the 5^th on Rebecca Gleason's RBI single to go up 5-2, but the Griffins erupted for four runs in the bottom of the inning, keyed by Louanne Weigand's three-run home run, to take a 6-5 lead.

Harper doubled again for CU in the 7^th, starting a rally that would bring in the tying run and force extra innings.

The Griffins started out the bottom of the 9^th with singles by Jenna Vavra and pinch-hitter Kelsey Criner; Jessi DiVittorio drew a walk to load the bases, and a grounder by Lisa Kaczyinski brought in the winning run.

Clement topped CU by going 2-3 with a home run; Harper finished 2-5 with two doubles and an RBI; Brooke Bowling was also 2-5, and scored a run.

Concord once again started the scoring with a four-run rally, this time in the top of the 1^st. With Kaylyn Klatt on first with two outs, Brooke Bowling walked, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Kristin McClure brought them both in with a double, followed promptly another double from Harper, scoring McClure, and an RBI single from Alex Brown.

Seton Hill scored once in the bottom of the 1^st, but Concord got single runs in the 2^nd and 5^th to lead 6-1. In the 2^nd, a Griffins' error scored Mariel Wilson, and in the 5^th Harper launched another RBI double.

Seton Hill got within 6-4 with three runs in the bottom of the 6^th, on a two-run single by Vavra and an RBI groundout from DiVittorio. The Lady Lions responded with a big tally in the top of the 7^th – McClure walked, Harper doubled yet again, and an error by Kaczynski brought in the run.

Concord's game one starter, Tamara Smith, came in relief of Harper in the bottom of the 7^th. Smith closed out the game – but not without some drama. Smith got the first two outs, then gave up singles to Kayla Badini and Brandi Poccolino and a double to Criner to make the score 7-5. But with the tying run in scoring position, Smith induced Vavra to ground out to end the game.

Harper capped an impressive day by going 3-4 with three doubles, two RBIs and a run. Meanwhile, she was the winning pitching, allowing six hits and four earned runs in six innings. Klatt, McClure, Smith and Wilson added two hits each.

GAME ONE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R	H	E	LOB
Concord	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	1	5
Fairmont State	0	2	0	0	0	1	x		3	7	0	4

Clement led off the game with a single, but FSU starter Chelsea Cobb kept Concord off the scoreboard until Harper clouted a solo home run in the top of the 7^th. 

The Fighting Falcons scored twice in the 2^nd, on an RBI grounder by Jessie Faloon and a sacrifice fly from Brooke Keene. FSU scored again in the 6^th, on an RBI single by Danielle Dalton.

Smith, Concord's starter, scattered seven hits while allowing three earned in suffering the loss.

The Falcons squared the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 3^rd on Elizabeth Derrick's two-run home run.

Fairmont State tied the game on Abbey Wilson's home run in the 6^th, then pieced together a two-out rally to win the game in the 7^th. Brittany Tallhamer reached on an error by Brown, and back-to-back singles by Derrick and Sarah Zeleznikar pushed across the winning run.

Harper gave the Lady Lions another solid dual-role performance. At the plate, she was 2-4 with another double and three RBIs; in the circle, she allowed four earned runs on ten hits in taking the tough-luck loss.

BOXSCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY:  http://fightingfalcons.com/content/File/fssb4410.htm

The Lady Lions return home to conclude the regular season with a WVIAC doubleheader against 5^th-place Alderson-Broaddus on Sunday, April 25^th. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm EDT in Athens.