NOT QUITE

CU CAN'T GET PAST TOP SEED IN REGIONAL OPENER

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Sometimes a team can do a lot of things right and still not get the result they sought.

Concord's Baseball knows something about that.

The Mountain Lions played air-tight defense, put 11 runners on base and got a complete-game, no-walk performance from their starting pitcher in their NCAA Atlantic Regional opener Friday afternoon against Millersville University (PA).

But CU still suffered a 3-1 defeat that dropped it into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
Concord will play Winston-Salem State (NC) in an elimination game Saturday at 11:00 am.

CU went errorless for the first time in five games, and had runners on base in seven of Friday's nine innings. Freshman pitcher Ryan Weatherholtz (above right) didn't issue a walk and kept in check a Millersville lineup that was averaging more than seven runs a game. But the host Marauders – the regional's top seed – was just a little better than the Mountain Lions on a soggy afternoon in Lancaster, PA.

Concord (26-25) missed a chance to take the lead in the top of the 3rd. Ian Humphrey led off with a single; one out later, Keith Morrisroe drew a walk off Millersville starter Brooks Rothschild. But Jacob Mays flied out to center on the first pitch he saw, and Rothschild struck out Josh Wenger to end the threat.

Weatherholtz stumbled against the bottom of MU's lineup in the bottom of the inning. He allowed a single to #8 hitter Ryan Chesler on a 1-2 pitch, then gave up a single to #9 hitter Jeff Heisey on an 0-1 pitch.
Ryan McCormick put down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners.
Chris Edgar lifted a sacrifice fly to score Chesler, and Derek Kline delivered a two-out single to drive in Heisey. Weatherholtz retired Zach Stone to end the inning, but the Marauders were ahead to stay.

Senior 1B Kyle Webb gave Concord its only run of the game with a two-out solo home run off Rothschild in the top of the 4th. It was his first home run of the year.

Millersville (40-10) put runners on first and third with one out in the 6th, but Weatherholtz fanned Carlos Medina and retired Chesler on a comeback groundout.

The Marauders tacked on their last run in the 7th. Heisey led off with a double, moved to third on a McCormick groundout and scored on Edgar's second sacrifice fly of the game.

Concord had a chance to get back in the game in the 8th, when Wenger led off with a ringing double in the left field corner that chased Rothschild. Sidewinding left hander Jason Long came on in relief; he retired Nick Sydnor on a popup and Bret Blevins on a fly ball to short left.
Webb drew a full count walk to keep the inning alive, but Long struck out Raphael Sanchez to close the door.

Stone led off the bottom of the 8th with a double, but Weatherholtz mowed down the next three hitters, two on strikeouts.

MU closer Zack Eckley set down the Mountain Lions in order in the top of the 9th to get the save, his 9th of the season.

Weatherholtz (8-5) scattered ten hits and struck out six in his sixth complete game of the year. It was his first loss since April 2nd.
Wenger and Humphrey (right) each went 2-4 to pace the Concord offense.

Kline, Stone, Chesler and Heisey had two hits each for Millersville. Rothschild allowed seven hits in seven innings in improving to 10-1.

The Mountain Lions were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and wound up stranding ten runners on base.


BOXSCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY


Saturday's game against Winston Salem State will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 102.3 The Ticket (WMTD, Hinton/Princeton/Beckley) starting with the “Mountain Lions Preview Show” at 10:45 am EDT.

The Ticket will provide free, streaming audio of the broadcast HERE.

Millersville will post Live Stats of the game HERE.



_{(photos by Jason Greene)}

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