Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team broke the program's single-season record for wins with a doubleheader sweep of the University of Charleston, 7-5 and 8-2, at the CU Softball Field Thursday evening in Mountain East Conference play.
CU is now 22-14 overall this season and 6-8 in conference play. Charleston falls to 21-13 and 5-7 in the MEC with the losses.
The Mountain Lions were led on the day by freshman outfielder
Lauren Lewis, who went a combined 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBI. Sophomore catcher
Alyssa Morris was also 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run, one RBI and three walks.
Concord scored six runs with two outs in the sixth inning in game one en route to its two-run comeback victory over Charleston in the opener. The six-run inning was highlighted by Lewis' two-run home run.
Charleston scored a run in the top of the first, but Concord answered back quickly in the bottom of the inning when Morris hit a lead-off home run, her sixth of the season, to even the score at 1-1.
UC proceeded to add runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to take a seemingly commanding 4-1 lead over the Mountain Lions.
However, sophomore shortstop
Kristen Rose began Concord's dramatic rally with a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth. One out later Lewis swung at the first pitch she saw, driving the ball over the right-center field fence to narrow the deficit to 4-3.
The Mountain Lions kept the two-out rally alive by scoring a pair of runs on a Charleston error to give CU its first lead of the game at 5-4. The miscue plated freshman third baseman
Courtney Purtell and freshman catcher
Carly DiVirgilio, who had reached base on a walk and single earlier in the inning, respectively.
Concord would eventually come away with two more runs in frame when freshman second baseman
Alayna Furr scored from third base on a wild pitch which then led to freshman third baseman
Kelsey Lineberger's RBI-single that brought home junior
Brantlea Wood. After a hectic sixth inning, Concord found itself ahead 7-4.
Charleston managed to score one run in the seventh, but sophomore pitcher
Allie Reid stranded one UC batter on first base with the tying-run at the plate by flawlessly fielding a line drive shot up the middle for the contests' final out. Reid threw all seven innings for Concord, scattering 10 hits and giving up just three earned runs while striking out one batter to improve her record to 12-5 on the season.
Offensively, Lewis was 1-for-3 with a run, a home run and two RBI. Morris and Lineberger both picked up an RBI with Morris also hitting a home run and scoring a run. DiVirgilio was 2-for-3 with a run for her fourth multi-hit game of the season. Furr, Rose and Wood each had one hit and one run in game one as well.
CU used three runs in both the third and sixth innings to defeat Charleston, 8-2, in the nightcap to secure the sweep.
Concord quickly loaded the bases to start the bottom of the third inning on consecutive walks by Morris, Reid and Lewis. The game's first run came when sophomore
Whitney Carrigan, who was pinch-running for Morris, crossed the plate on a Charleston error via a ball put in play by Purtell.
Furr then made it a 2-0 game with a run-scoring single before Wood drew a bases-loaded walk to score Lewis for the inning's third run.
Charleston got one run back, but Concord ended any thoughts of a Golden Eagle comeback by rattling off five unanswered runs to push its lead to seven runs on the way to an eventual 8-2 victory.
Lewis once again paced the Concord offense in game two by going 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a fourth-inning home run. Morris produced a 1-for-2 outing of her own that included a run and two walks while the quartet of Furr, Rose, DiVirgilio and junior outfielder
Jessica Seymour all had one-hit performances with Rose also stealing her team-high 14
th base of the year.
In the circle, Wood (1-0) earned her first win of the season by allowing just one run and four hits in four innings. Reid came on in relief of Wood in the fifth to close out the game for the three-inning save, her second of the year.
The Mountain Lions begin a four-game MEC road trip 1:00 p.m. Saturday at Glenville State in doubleheader action.
Â
