Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 WHEELING, W. Va. – The Concord University baseball team extended its winning streak to seven games with a doubleheader sweep of Mountain East Conference foe Wheeling Jesuit University Saturday with 9-0 and 7-0 victories at the JB Chambers Baseball Complex in Wheeling, W. Va.
The Mountain Lions pitching staff gave up just one run over 28 innings in the four-game sweep of the Cardinals.
Concord exits the weekend at 25-11 overall on the season and 22-8 in league play. The Mountain Lions are now just one victory away from matching their season-long winning streak of eight games from earlier in the year. Wheeling Jesuit fell to 13-19 overall and 13-15 in conference games with the losses.
As has been the case for the majority of the season, Concord once again received excellent pitching performances Sunday. Sophomore
Chris Kelly (6-2) set the tone for the day by tossing a two-hit complete game shutout in the opener followed by freshman
Zach Kelly (5-1) and senior
Tim Leather combining to throw a four-hit shutout in game two.
At the plate, junior second baseman
Jerrod Groves and sophomore designated hitter
Joe Camp compiled a pair of multi-hit games. Groves combined to go 4-for-7 with four runs and one RBI from his spot atop the Concord batting order while Camp went 4-for-7 with four RBI. Two of Camp's hits went for extra-base hits in the form of a double and triple.
The Mountain Lions got out to a quick start with three runs to start game one when Groves, who led off with a single, scored on an error before sophomore shortstop
Brad Sullivan shot a single up the middle to drive in sophomore outfielder
Andrew Seigel from third base and senior outfielder
Bret Blevins from second later in the frame.
C. Kelly gave up his first hit of the game with one out in the second inning; he went on to retire the next 14 batters he faced before surrendering WJU's second hit of the contest with one out in the sixth inning. For the game, C. Kelly matched a career-high with six strikeouts on the way to his team-leading sixth win of the season. The Grundy, Va. native has won his last three starts.
With the Cardinal bats unable to solve C. Kelly's dynamic pitching, the Concord offense quickly put the game out of reach by scoring one run in the third inning, three more in the fourth followed by additional scores in the fourth and seventh en route to the 9-0 triumph.
Groves and Camp were both 2-for-3 in the opener with Camp driving in a game high three runs. Blevins and freshman outfielder
Eli Flynn each added a stolen base on the base paths. Blevins' steal was his first of two on the day, giving him a team-high 19 stolen bases on the year.
Concord once again got out to a quick start on offense off of four runs in the first two innings while the duo of Z. Kelly and Leather continued to keep the Wheeling Jesuit bats guessing as CU cruised to a 7-0 victory in game two.
The Mountain Lions' offense furthered its lead on Wheeling Jesuit with one run in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth.
Concord's lead was more than for Z. Kelly as the rookie pitcher surrendered just one hit after the second inning before giving way to Leather for the game's final two innings. In five innings of work Sunday, Z. Kelly scattered three hits in addition to hurling a season-high four strikeouts. Leather closed out the day by striking out three of the seven batters he faced in the sixth and seventh.
In a game that saw all nine starters achieve hits, the Maroon and Gray tallied 12 hits including two-hit performances from Groves, Camp and Blevins. Senior catcher
Brandon Costa made the most of his one hit by driving in two runs on the single in the second inning. The quintet of Camp, Sullivan, senior first baseman
Joey Miller, junior third baseman
Ryan Johnston and sophomore outfielder
Charles Goss all posted doubles as well.
Blevins' stolen base in the second inning marked the fifth straight game in which Concord's all-time stolen base leader has swiped a bag.
Concord looks to continue its winning streak Tuesday at West Virginia State in its final midweek doubleheader of the season. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m.
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