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Box Score 2 ATHENS, W. Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept its final regular season doubleheader of the season and matched the school's single-season wins record in the process with a pair of victories over UVa.-Wise, 6-5 and 13-5, Sunday afternoon at Anderson Field.
The Mountain Lions end their 2014 regular season at 36-14 overall and 33-11 in Mountain East Conference play. Concord's stellar conference record earns them the second seed in next week's MEC Tournament where it will play Notre Dame College 3:00 p.m. Thursday at Epling Stadium in Beckley, W. Va. UVa.-Wise ends its season at 16-27 overall and 13-22 in league play.
Concord, which scored 51 runs in the sweep, has now won 11 of its last 13 games.
Senior first baseman
Joey Miller continued his weekend rampage Sunday by combining to go for 4-for-6 with four runs scored, two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, and seven RBI. For the weekend, Miller batted .571 (8-for-14) with seven runs, three home runs, two doubles and 14 RBI. Miller is now up to 12 home runs and 68 RBI on a .393 batting average on the year.
Junior second baseman
Jerrod Groves also came away with two multi-hit games in what was a 4-for-8 afternoon while senior outfielder
Bret Blevins, whose average increased to a team-best .407, extended his hitting streak to 19 games after a three-hit day. Blevins' nine hits this series gives him 268 for his career, just eight shy of tying the Concord record of 276 currently held by Donovan Huffer.
The Highland Cavaliers scored three unanswered runs in Sunday's opener before Concord rallied for a one-run victory.
Trailing by three runs heading into the bottom of the second, CU cut into the deficit when Miller launched a leadoff home run. Concord completely erased the UVa.-Wise lead an inning later after a trio of RBI-singles from Blevins, junior third baseman
Ryan Johnston and sophomore designated hitter
Joe Camp to put the Mountain Lions up 4-3.
UVa.-Wise would come back to tie the contest at 4-4 with a run in the top of the fourth inning before the Mountain Lions regained their advantage when Miller stroked a two-run single through the left side of the infield that plated sophomore outfielder
Andrew Seigel and Blevins.
Despite allowing a run in the seventh inning, Concord hung on for the victory when sophomore outfielder
Charles Goss saved a run by throwing out Tye Marshall, who was attempting to score from second base, at home followed by senior pitcher
Chris Baker forcing a flyout to end the contest and secure a 6-5 win.
Groves, Blevins and Miller all had two hits in the opener with Miller driving in three runs and Blevins stealing his 25
th base of the season.
On the mound, senior pitcher
Tim Leather, who entered the game for sophomore
Chris Kelly in the fourth inning, improved to 5-1 on the season after allowing only one run on three hits in 2.2 innings of relief pitching. Baker retired the game's final two batters to tally his fourth save on the season.
Kelly received a no decision on a day in which he struck out two batters and allowed four runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings.
Concord's bats finished off the doubleheader sweep with an eight-run inning and junior pitcher
Kevin Mack produced another quality start en route to a 13-5 game-two triumph.
Mack continued his strong 2014 campaign by collecting his second straight victory on the year to push his record to 3-1. Mack scattered six hits and two runs over five innings to go with three strikeouts. Junior
Barinder Rakkar and freshman
Zach Kelly finished out the nightcap with an inning of relief each.
With the game tied 1-1 headed into the bottom of the third inning, Concord exploded for eight runs and six hits to jump out to a 9-1 lead over UVa.-Wise. For the fourth time in the series, Concord batted around in the inning with the highlight being Miller's grand slam.
CU went on to post two-run frames in the fourth and sixth while UVa.-Wise managed to score just once in the fourth and three times in the seventh in the defeat.
Groves, Miller, sophomore shortstop
Brad Sullivan and senior catcher
Brandon Costa each had two-hit outings in game four with Miller plating four runs, Sullivan three and Costa two. Johnston scored four runs and belted his eighth career triple in the eight-run win.
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