BASEBALL: STREAK ENDS

SIX-GAME RUN ENDS AT SHEPHERD

The Concord baseball team's six-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday, when the Mountain Lions dropped both games of a WVIAC seven-inning doubleheader at Shepherd. 

CU was on the wrong end of a 19-12 slugfest in the first game.  Shepherd edged out the Mountain Lions 4-3 in the nightcap, at Fairfax Field in Shepherdstown, WV.

GAME ONE
BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY

Big Cut
Concord jumped on Shepherd starting pitcher Trevor Appleby for two runs in the top of the 1st.  With one out, Jerrod Groves singled and Keith Morrisroe doubled to drive him in.  Josh Wenger followed with an RBI single to score Morrisroe.

The Rams pulled within 2-1 on Ryan Messina's RBI single in the bottom of the 1st.

Concord answered with four more runs off Appleby in the 2nd.  RBI singles from Groves and Morrisroe brought in two of the runs, with Shepherd errors accounting for the others.

Shepherd replied with an 11-run rally in the bottom of the 2nd to take a 12-6 lead.  The Rams sent 16 hitters to the plate, with ten consecutive reaching base with two outs.

After the 2nd inning, a passing storm necessitated a rain delay.  But the bad weather couldn't stop the downpour of offense.

When play resumed in the top of the 3rd, Devin Smith greeted new Shepherd pitcher Justin Boyd with a solo home run.  Ian Humphrey reached on catcher's interference, Randy Beard walked, and T.J. Brockway brought them both in with a double to left center.  Groves singled, moving Brockway to third, and Morrisroe drove in a run with a fielder's choice.  The four-run rally got CU within 12-10.

The Mountain Lions pulled within 12-11 in the top of the 4th on Randy Beard's RBI single, but missed on a chance to tie the score Ian Humphrey was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Shepherd scored once in the bottom of the inning, and stretched their lead with five runs in the 5th, featuring a two-out, two-run homer from reigning WVIAC Player of the Year Nate Minnich.

CU scored in the top of the 6th on Smith's second solo homer of the game, but the Rams matched it in the bottom of the inning, closing out the scoring.

Groves went 5-5 to pace Concord's 17-hit attack.  Brockway, Morrisroe, Blevins and Smith had two hits each, with Morrisroe finishing with three RBIs.


GAME TWO
BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY

Randy Beard AB
The second game started quite differently from the first, with CU's Smith and Shepherd's Andrew Gallant keep each team's offense off the board through the first three innings.
Concord broke through with three runs in the 4th.  Morrisroe led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on Josh Wenger's groundout and scored on Blevins' RBI single.  Johnston followed with a two-run homer to right, giving CU a 3-0 lead.

Chad Murphy's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning drew Shepherd within 3-2, and the Rams tied the game on Michael Lott's RBI single in the 5th.  Shepherd took the lead on Brandon Coffey's RBI single in the bottom of the 6th.

Smith scattered nine hits and struck out five in taking the tough-luck complete-game loss.


Up next for Concord (12-17, 8-6) is a return home to Anderson Field for a three-game weekend series against WVIAC South Division rival West Virginia State.  The Mountain Lions and Yellow Jackets will play a seven-inning doubleheader on Saturday, March 31 and a single nine-inning game on Sunday, April 1. 

First pitch both days is scheduled for 1:00 pm.  Admission is free.







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