Box Score
INSTITUTE, W. Va. – The Concord University baseball team took an eight-run lead against West Virginia State into the eighth inning, but the Yellow Jackets rallied to score 11 runs in the final two innings to defeat the Mountain Lions, 16-14, Saturday at Calvin Bailey Field.
West Virginia State (8-11, 6-3 WVIAC) finished off the comeback when Jordan Simpson hit a two-run walk off home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Senior designated hitter
Jacob Mays was one of three Concord (12-13, 7-5 WVIAC) players to record three hits in the game. Mays went 3-for-3 off of two doubles and one home run in addition to walking three times, scoring five runs and driving in three more.
Junior shortstop
Brandon Costa and junior outfielder
Bret Blevins joined Mays in the three-hit club with respective 3-for-4 and 3-for-5 days.
Costa drove in two runs and stole his first base of the year while Blevins also added an RBI and another stolen base, his 17th of the year and fifth in four games.
Sophomore third baseman
Ryan Johnston had two RBI on a pair of hits. Freshman catcher
Charles Goss scored three runs and produced one RBI in a 2-for-4 outing. Goss is on an eight-game hitting streak.
Sophomore pitcher
Kevin Mack made his first start of the season and gave the Mountain Lions seven solid innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. He exited the game in the eighth with Concord leading by eight runs.
After surrendering four runs in the first two innings, Mack settled down to give up no hits, one walk and one run in his final five innings of work.
But Mack received a no decision after the Yellow Jackets scored seven runs off of three hits and two errors in the eighth before adding four more in the ninth to complete the comeback victory.
Concord seemed poised to run away with a win when the Mountain Lions posted five runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-4 lead thanks to RBI hits from Costa, Blevins and Johnston (a two-run single) as well as one from junior first baseman
Joey Miller off of a walk with the bases loaded.
WV State got one run back in the bottom of the inning, but Concord added runs in the fifth and sixth inning before exploding for another five-run showing in the seventh to increase its advantage to 13-5. Mays led the way in the inning with a two-run double.
However, CU could not survive the 11-run WVSU onslaught in the game's final moments leading to the 16-14 defeat that started with back-to-back fielding errors by Concord in the eighth inning.
Junior
Will Zuspan (0-1) suffered his first loss of the year after giving up four runs in the ninth. Senior
Justin Willard and junior
Dustin Nuckels pitched the eighth, combining to allow seven unearned runs.
Concord will look to bounce back with a pair of wins Wednesday at Alderson-Broaddus. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
