BASEBALL: GETTING AHEAD, STAYING AHEAD

MOUNTAIN LIONS SWEEP WHEELING JESUIT

Once the Concord baseball team got in front, they stayed there.

The Mountain Lions spotted the Cardinals early leads in each game of their WVIAC doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, but recovered to sweep WJU, 11-6 and 13-2, at Anderson Field.  

Kevin Mack Delivers
GAME ONE
BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY

WJU pounced on Concord starter Kevin Mack for three runs in the top of the 1st, but CU got one back on Josh Wenger's RBI single in the bottom of the inning.  The Cardinals increased their lead with another in the 4th, only to see CU strike back with a game-changing five-run rally in the bottom of the frame.

Bret Blevins led off with a single and went to third on Wenger's double.  Both Mountain Lions scored when Joe Camp grounded a sharp single to right.
Ian Humphrey's RBI double tied the score, T.J. Brockway's RBI single put CU in front, and Jerrod Grove's RBI double extended the Concord lead to 6-4.

The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the 5th to close within 6-5, but committed two errors that led to a pair of Concord runs in the bottom of the inning, on RBI singles by Ryan Johnston and Brockway.

The Mountain Lions put the contest out of reach with three runs in the bottom of the 6th, featuring a two-run double by Blevins and Johnston's sacrifice fly.

Blevins paced Concord's 14-hit attack by going 3-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.  Johnston and Brockway each had two hits and a pair of runs batted in.
 
Mack (above left) worked into the 5th to get the victory.  CU's #1 starter, Ryan Weatherholtz, put in three innings of relief to record the save.


GAME TWO
BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY

Again, the Cardinals scored first, on Patrick Ammar's RBI single in the top of the 1st.  Again, Concord responded, sending ten batters to the plate in a six-run outburst in the bottom of the inning to go ahead for good.

Bret Blevins RBI
Back-to-back RBI singles by Wenger and Blevins gave CU a 2-1 lead, and a single by Camp loaded the bases.  Johnston promptly unloaded them by unloading on an offering from WJU starter Josh Kernik for a grand slam home run that extended the Mountain Lions' lead to 6-1.

Concord would score twice in both the 2nd and 3rd to open up a 10-1 lead. 

That was more than enough support for pitcher Dustin Nuckels, a bulwark of CU's bullpen who made his first start of the season.  The sophomore right-hander put in four innings to get the win, with Mike Wood following with three scoreless innings of relief.

Wenger and Blevins each posted three hits and three RBIs.  Groves added three hits and Camp two.  The Mountain Lions out-hit the Cardinals 15-7.

On the day, Wenger was 5-5 with four RBIs and three runs.  Blevins (above right) went 6-8 with five RBIs and two runs.  Groves finished 5-8 with four runs and two RBIs.  Camp was 3-6 and scored three times.



Up next for Concord (9-15, 5-4) is a visit to Glenville State for a WVIAC South Division series on Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25. 

The two squads will play a seven-inning doubleheader on Saturday and a single nine-inning game on Sunday, with first pitch both days scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Sue Morris Complex in Glenville, WV.

Glenville State is fielding a basetball team for the first time since 1982.



(statistics provided by CU SID GA Becky Brouse)




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