BASEBALL: GOOD MORNING

CU ROUTS DAVIS & ELKINS IN EARLY START, SWEEPS SERIES

College students aren't exactly known for being fond of waking up early in the morning.

But that was the task facing the Concord baseball team on Saturday, and the Mountain Lions (pardon the pun) rose to the occasion.

Will Zuspan vs D&E
Saturday's finale of CU's WVIAC South Division series against Davis & Elkins was moved up three hours – to 10:00 am – in a bid to avoid the bad weather forecast for the area. 
Although the time of day seemed better suited for brunch than baseball, CU enjoyed the early start, winning 14-6 to sweep the three-game set.

The victory was Concord's fifth straight.  It strengthened CU's grip on a top-four finish in the division and the bid to the WVIAC Tournament that comes with it.


The teams traded punches early in the game.  The Senators scored first on Eric Doyle's RBI single in the top of the 1st, but Concord to score twice in the bottom of the inning on Jerrod Groves' triple, Keith Morrisroe's RBI single and Ryan Johnston's run-scoring double.

Davis & Elkins responded with two runs in the top of the 2nd and another in the 3rd for a 4-2 lead.

CU came back to take a 5-4 lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the 3rd.  Morrisroe singled, Bret Blevins walked, and Johnston launched a three-run home run that easily cleared the “390” sign in straightaway center field.

D&E loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 4th, and tied the game at 5-5 on Lance Vannoy's RBI single.  But CU pitcher Will Zuspan (above right) induced Andrew Ford to ground into a 4-3 double play that ended the inning.

Devin Smith 7th Inning AB
Concord broke the tie – and how – in the bottom of the 7th. 
The first seven Mountain Lions reached base and CU sent 13 batters to the plate in a game-changing nine-run outburst.
Groves and Morrisroe singled, and Blevins walked to load the bases.  After a pitching change, Johnston drew a walk that gave the Mountain Lions a 6-5 lead, and T.J. Brockway singled to center to drive in Morrisroe for a 7-5 advantage.
Devin Smith (right) laced a double down the line in right to drive in two more runs, and Zach Cloxton followed with a two-run single to make the score 11-5.
After another pitching change, Groves lined an RBI single to left, pushing the lead to 12-5 and putting runners at the corners.
A double-steal forced D&E into an error that brought in another run, and an RBI groundout by Blevins closed out the rally.

D&E (16-26, 11-16) pushed across a single run in the 9th to end the day's scoring.


Zuspan allowed just one run on four hits in six innings of relief to get the victory – his first of the season.

Groves and Johnston – two freshmen – lead Concord's 16-hit attack.  Groves went 4-5 with three runs scored, while Johnston finished 2-5 with a double, a homer and five RBIs.  Morrisroe and Cloxton contributed three hits each and Smith added two.

BOXSCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY

Up next for Concord (20-25, 16-14) is its final road trip of the regular season.  The Mountain Lions visit West Liberty for a WVIAC seven-inning doubleheader on Tuesday, April 24, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.


(statistics provided by CU SID GA Becky Brouse)



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