SOFTBALL: STREAK SNAPPED

SMITH, McCLURE LEAD LADY LIONS TO SWEEP

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Concord's Softball team brought its three-game losing streak to an abrupt end Tuesday afternoon, sweeping Kentucky State in a non-conference doubleheader in Athens.

The Lady Lions won 3-0 and 13-6 in two very different games. Tamara Smith's pitching led to victory in game one, and Kristen McClure's clutch hitting in game two drove CU to complete the sweep.

Tuesday's sweep marked the end of the Lady Lions' non-conference The Mountain Lions will take a 16-13 record into a busy weekend in which they'll play six games in three doubleheaders in the span of roughly 48 hours. 

GAME ONE

Smith and KSU's Shenaaz Burrell nearly matched each other pitch-for-pitch. But while Concord's freshman dominated the Thorobred's lineup, the Lady Lions reached KSU's sophomore for two early important rallies.

With one out in the bottom of the 2nd, Katie Billingslea drew a walk and Stephanie Harper singled. Billingslea advanced to third on passed ball charged to KSU catcher Kayla Lewis, and scored on a wild pitch from Burrell.

Concord struck with two outs again in the 3rd. Brooke Bowling launched a solo home run just inside the foul pole in right field to push CU's lead to 2-0, and McClure kept the inning alive with a double. Burrell, perhaps a bit unsteady, uncorked two more wild pitches to score McClure and put the Lady Lions up 3-0.

That would be all the run support Smith (left) would need. She went the distance, walking none, scattering three hits -- all singles -- and striking out eight to raise her record to 10-3. 



McClure (more on her later) paced the CU offense by going 2-3 with a double, a run and a stolen base. 

GAME TWO

McClure's clutch hitting helped the Lady Lions build a sizeable early lead, the helped rebuild it after the Thorobreds came back to force a tie.

In the bottom of the 1st, McClure drove in Samantha Clement with a two-out single.

Burell hit a solo home run in the top of the 2nd to even the score. But McClure countered with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring Bowling for a 2-1 CU lead.

In the bottom of the 5th, a base hit by McClure capped a flurry of three straight singles, started by Becca Gleason and continued by Bowling, for another RBI and a 3-1 lead. One out later, Harper crushed a three-run homer and the Lady Lions enjoyed an apparently comfortable 6-1 lead.

However, McClure struggled in the pitching circle in relief of Smith, and KSU stormed back to square up the score. The Thorobreds scored five times in the top of the 6th, with two runs scoring on McClure wild pitches and two more on Lamara Parker's game-tying home run.

McClure and the Lady Lions quickly untied the game in the bottom of the inning. Clement led off with a bloop double to right and went to third on a wild pitch. Bowling drew a walk and stole second. Then came McClure, who rocketed a two-run single to put Concord up 8-6 and in the lead for good.
Billingslea walked and Harper reached to load the bases, and Mariel Wilson lined a two-run single to extend the lead. Alex Brown added an RBI single and Kaylyn Klatt rocketed an RBI double to close out the day's scoring.

McClure (right) went 4-4 with 5 RBIs and 2 runs, delivering a two-out hit with runners in scoring position each time up. The freshman from Inman, SC went 6-7 for the doubleheader. 




Brown was 3-3, with an RBI, a run and a walk. Harper finished 2-4, with two runs scored in addition to her three-run homer. Bowling reached base three times in four plate appearances and scored three runs. 

The Lady Lions continue their eight-game home stand April 9th with a Friday evening WVIAC doubleheader against Davis & Elkins. First pitch at the Ladies' Diamond is set for 6:00 pm. 

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