THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

CU POUNDS OVU IN RAIN-SHORTENED SERIES OPENER

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The barrage began in mid-afternoon, and only a force of nature could bring it to an end.

The Concord Baseball pounded out 19 hits and put together four sizeable rallies in defeating Ohio Valley, 17-3, in the opener of a key WVIAC Southern Division series Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field.

The contest was to have been the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader. But the arrival of a heavy rain and lightning storm shortened it to six innings and forced a change in the remainder of the weekend series.

Instead of the originally scheduled single nine-inning game on Sunday, CU and OVU will play a seven-inning at noon, followed by a nine-inning contest.

Ohio Valley reached CU starting pitcher Ryan Weatherholtz for two runs in the top of the 1st, but the Mountain Lions wasted little time responding.

Concord tallied five times off OVU starter Hunter Conkle in the bottom of the 1st, featuring an RBI triple by Josh Wenger, a run-scoring single by Kyle Webb and three-run home run from Nick Sydnor.

The Mountain Lions scored again in the 2nd, on Webb's RBI groundout.

Joseph Hallinan's solo homer in the top of the 3rd pulled the Fighting Scots within 6-3, but that would be as close as they would get. Weatherholtz would allow just one more single in this final three innings.

Concord's offense resumed its assault in the bottom of the 4th. Jacob Mays led off with a double, moved to third on Beard's groundout, and scored on Wenger's RBI single to center. That knocked out Conkle, with James Valentin coming on in relief.
Valentin retired Webb on a fly ball to right, but it was deep enough for Wenger to advance to second.

Bret Blevins singled, scoring Wenger. Sydnor singled, and he and Blevins pulled off a double-steal. OVU catcher Shawn Brand's throw to third went awry, and the error allowed Blevins to score.

The next man up, Raphael Sanchez, hit a grounder to shortstop. Tyler Wharton misplayed it, and Sydnor raced in to score on the error. Concord led 10-3.

CU scored three more times in the 5th. An error on OVU centerfielder Josh Saavedra accounted for one run; the other two came in on Webb's single to center.

The Mountain Lions kept rolling with four runs in the 6th. Sanchez led off with a double, stole third, and scored on another throwing error by Brand. Ian Humphrey singled and Joel Gattoni doubled; Mays singled to left to plate Humphrey. Beard's sacrifice fly scored Gattoni, and Blevins capped the rally later in the inning with an RBI to the left field corner.
The bad weather arrived in the top of the 7th. The umpires first ordered a delay; the decision was then made to end the game.

Seven of Concord's 19 hits went for extra bases, and the Mountain Lions were 4-6 in stolen base attempts.

Mays, Webb and Blevins each had three hits to lead the CU offense. Beard, Wenger, Sydnor and Humphrey had two hits apiece.

On the mound, Weatherholtz (left) scattered five hits in six innings to get the win.

Concord and Ohio Valley finish their series at Anderson Field Sunday afternoon.


BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY




^{(statistics provided by Concord SID GA Brandon Besl)}

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