Concord Drops Close Games at #17 Wesleyan

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. - The Concord University softball narrowly dropped a pair of one-run Mountain East Conference games to No. 17 West Virginia Wesleyan, 2-1 and 4-3, Sunday afternoon at Culpepper Field in Buckhannon, W. Va. 

The Mountain Lions fall to 24-16 overall and 8-10 vs. MEC competition while WVWC improved to 28-8 this season and 13-3 in league games. 

Junior first baseman Brantlea Wood led the Mountain Lions on the afternoon with a 2-for-5 outing that included a run scored, a home run and two RBI. Wood's home run was her second of the weekend and third of her career. Freshman outfielder Lauren Lewis supplemented Wood's offense by going 2-for-6 with a run and an RBI. 

In six games this week, four of which were Concord wins, Lewis was 8-for-19 with five runs, nine RBI and three home runs. Lewis' current eight-game hitting streak is tied for the longest by a Concord player this season.

Concord's Allie Reid and West Virginia Wesleyan's Jacqui Omichinski were both dominant in the circle in game one. Reid (13-6) threw five innings, scatting two runs on nine hits and walking one batter. Omichinski countered by holding the Concord offense to one run on two hits and struck out five batters. 

Wesleyan scored their first run in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out double to lead 1-0. After giving up the run Reid went on to retire seven of the next ten Bobcat batters she faced. With Reid in control of the Wesleyan offense, Wood was able to tie the contest with a leadoff home run in the third inning.

The game remained tied until the fifth inning when Omichinski connected on a single that brought in Brooklyn Waddell from third base in what turned out to be the game's decisive run. Freshman pitcher Sarah Herndon tossed a scoreless sixth inning to keep Concord's deficit at one run, but the Mountain Lions' offense could not deliver the game-tying run as the Bobcats hung on for the 2-1 win.

In addition to Wood's home run, Lewis produced the other CU hit in game one with her team-leading 14th double of the season in the fourth inning. 

Concord scored a run in each of the first three innings of game two, but could not maintain its three-run advantage against the Bobcats in a 4-3 game-two loss.

Sophomore third baseman Kristen Rose legged out a one-out triple in the first inning before scoring off of an RBI groundout from Lewis to start the game. The Mountain Lions added to their early lead in the second inning when sophomore second baseman Alayna Furr, who led off the inning with a single and was later advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt, reached home on a WVWC fielding error.

Lewis hit a two-out single in the third inning and was then driven home by Wood, who continued her hot streak with an RBI-double, to extend Concord's lead to 3-0.

However, nationally ranked West Virginia Wesleyan went on to plate four unanswered runs, including a walk-off sacrifice fly by Rebekah Honce in the seventh inning, to preserve the doubleheader sweep of CU 4-3.

Wood and Lewis were both drove in a run and were 1-for-3 with Rose and Furr also recording hits in the nightcap. Wood is 4-for-8 with four runs and three RBI over the Mountain Lions' last four games. She also pitched three solid innings to start the nightcap, giving up just one run on two hits. Herndon (3-8) threw the final 3.2 innings for CU, allowing three earned runs on five hits.

The Mountain Lions return home for their final home stand of the season beginning with a doubleheader vs. Wheeling Jesuit 3:00 p.m. Thursday at the CU Softball Field.