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Box Score 2 ATHENS, W. Va. – The Concord University baseball team suffered a rare doubleheader sweep at Anderson Field Thursday afternoon, losing a pair of games to Mountain East Conference rival West Virginia State 5-1 and 9-5 (eight innings).
Despite the losses, Concord's record still stands at a healthy 14-10 overall and 11-7 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets improved to 14-8 overall and 10-8 in league games.
Junior third baseman
Ryan Johnston and sophomore shortstop
Brad Sullivan paced the Mountain Lions Thursday. On the day, Johnston went 3-for-6 with two runs scored while Sullivan added a pair of RBI on a 2-for-5 outing at the plate. Senior first baseman
Joey Miller and sophomore designated hitter
Joe Camp both launched home runs in game two as well.
Game One: West Virginia State 5 – Concord 1 (Box Score)
West Virginia State starter Russell Thompson carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning while the Yellow Jackets offense came away with four runs over the first three innings, in WVSU's 5-1 game one victory.
Senior outfielder
Bret Blevins, who broke up Thompson's no-hitter via a single two outs into the fourth inning, went 2-for-3 at the plate while stealing a pair of bases, his ninth and 10th of the season, to guide Concord in the opener. Johnston and Sullivan were responsible for Mountain Lion hits as well.
Trailing 4-0 heading into the fifth inning, Concord would score its first run of the afternoon when Sullivan knocked a run-scoring single to center field that drove in Johnston, who led off the inning with a single before advancing to third base on an error and fly ball. Thompson managed to get out of a one-on, one-out jam by forcing an inning-ending double play.
The Yellow Jackets added an insurance run in the seventh en route to the 5-1 victory.
Senior pitcher
Ryan Weatherholtz (3-3) took the loss for Concord after giving up all five runs, only three of which were earned, in 6.1 innings pitched. Junior pitcher
Barinder Rakkar recorded the final two outs for CU out of Concord's bullpen.
Game Two: West Virginia State 9 – Concord 5 (Eight Innings) (Box Score)
The Mountain Lions and Yellow Jackets went back-and-forth for the duration of game two leading to extra innings where WVSU capitalized on two home runs and a ground rule double to edge Concord 9-5 in the nightcap.
Johnston tallied Concord's lone multi-hit performance of the game, going 2-for-3 with one run while the quintet of Miller, Camp, Sullivan, sophomore catcher
Charles Goss and junior outfielder
T.J. Brockway all posted one-hit, one-RBI showings. Miller's hit was his MEC-leading sixth of the year while Brockway's was a crucial pinch-hit single in the seventh inning that forced the contest into extra innings.
West Virginia State took a 1-0 advantage into the bottom of the second inning when Camp evened the score with a solo home run, his first of the season, to left field. WVSU retook the lead with another score in the fifth only to have the Mountain Lions once again answer back with two runs in the bottom of the frame off of a run-scoring single up the middle by Goss to plate Camp and a double by Sullivan that drove in Goss.
CU's one-run lead would be short lived as West Virginia State came away with runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-4 advantage heading into the seventh.
Not to be outdone, Concord rallied starting with a one-out single by Johnston, who proceeded to advance to second base on the following fielder's choice. With two Mountain Lions on base and one out, Brockway came off the bench for freshman
Eli Flynn and laced a single over the outstretched arm of the Yellow Jackets' shortstop that brought in Johnston to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings.
However, Anthony Payne set the tone for WVSU in extra innings with a leadoff home run that was followed by three more hits and four additional runs to give the Yellow Jackets a commanding 9-4 edge. Miller got one run back for Concord in the bottom of the frame with his home run, but it wasn't quite enough as West Virginia State took game two 9-5.
Senior pitcher
Chris Baker (0-1) suffered the loss for Concord by allowing six runs on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Senior
Tyler Coyle started the game for CU, surrendering three runs and striking out two batters over 5.2 innings.
Concord remains at home for a four-game weekend series vs. Glenville State. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader at Anderson Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
