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Box Score 2 ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team split a pair of games with UVa.-Wise, winning 7-2 in game one before falling 4-1 in the nightcap, Thursday afternoon at the CU Softball Field in Mountain East Conference play.
The Mountain Lions, who were ranked eighth in the Division II Atlantic Regional Rankings earlier in the week, are now 28-18 overall and 12-12 in conference play while UVa.-Wise moves to 31-12 overall and 18-4 against MEC foes.
Concord wraps up its 2014 home schedule with an impressive 12-4 mark at the CU Softball Field.
The Concord offense was led on the day by sophomore catcher
Alyssa Morris, who was 4-for-7 with a run scored, a home run and three RBI over the two games. Morris' home run was her team-leading eighth of the season and 17
th of her career, putting her just one shot away from tying the Concord record for career home runs currently held by Ashley Jackson (2003-06) and Crystal Kestner (1999-00).
Freshman
Lauren Lewis extended her hitting streak to 14 games by recording hits in both games on the way to a 3-for-7 day that included a run and RBI. Sophomore pitcher
Allie Reid appeared in both games, throwing a combined 9.2 innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just two runs.
Behind stellar pitching Reid and timely hitting from the offense, Concord defeated the Cavaliers 7-2 in the game one.
Reid (15-7) threw a complete game, scattering eight hits and giving up two earned runs while fanning seven to tally her 15
th win of the season. Reid's strikeout total was the most since CU's first meeting with UVa.-Wise March 27.
An RBI-single from Lewis in the first inning scored sophomore second baseman
Kristen Rose, who had reached base earlier in the inning via a fielder's choice, to put CU up 1-0 to start the game.
UVa.-Wise plated two runs in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead before junior first baseman
Brantlea Wood, sophomore outfielder
Kristi Benvenuto and Morris connected on three-RBI singles with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to help Concord regain the lead at 4-2.
Freshman designated player
Carly DiVirgilio continued the onslaught when she scored Lewis in the fifth inning on a single to give CU a 5-2 edge. The Mountain Lions added two more insurance runs in the sixth inning with a run-scoring single from Morris, which brought home freshman third baseman
Courtney Purtell, and Rose scoring on a RBI-base hit from Reid.
After giving up two runs in the third inning to the Cavaliers Reid allowed just two UVa.-Wise hitters to reach base for the rest of the game, retiring 12 of the last 14 batters she faced to secure the five-run victory for Concord.
Morris finished game one 3-for-4 with two RBI while Lewis was 2-for-4, her fifth multi-hit game during her season-high 14-game hitting streak, with a run and an RBI. Reid also recorded a multi-hit game in a 2-for-4 effort with a run scored and an RBI.
As a team, Concord finished game one 9-for-18 with runners on base including a 3-for-5 showing with the bases loaded.
Morris' home run of the season highlighted the nightcap for CU in its narrow three-run defeat.
UVa.-Wise scored a run in the first and proceeded to add a pair of runs in the third inning before plating an additional run in the fifth to lead 4-0 before Morris cut into the deficit with her solo homer in the sixth inning to make it a 4-1 ballgame.
Down to their final at-bats in the seventh inning, Lewis led off the frame with a double off the right-center field fence to continue Concord's rally and would eventually move to third base off of an UVa.-Wise fielding error that allowed Wood to reach first base as well. However, Concord's comeback bid would fall short when Cavalier starter Taylor Brandts was able to get out of the jam to end the contest.
In addition to the hits from Lewis and Morris, freshman shortstop
Alayna Furr also registered a base hit in game two.
Freshman pitcher
Sarah Herndon (5-9) was the hard-luck loser after giving up three earned runs on nine hits while striking out one batter in 4.1 innings of work. Reid came on to relieve Herndon and threw 2.2 shutout innings. Brandts struck out four Mountain Lions and surrendered just three hits on the evening.
The Mountain Lions conclude their 2014 regular season this weekend with doubleheaders 1:00 p.m. Saturday at West Virginia State and 1:00 p.m. Sunday at Charleston in a series that will have a huge impact on next week's regional rankings.
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