Concord Earns Split in Final Two Games Versus Shepherd

CLOVER, S.C. – The Concord University baseball team won the final game of a four-game series with Shepherd to avoid getting swept by the Rams at Clover High School in Mountain East Conference action Monday.

CU (1-3, 1-3 MEC) fell in game 4-1 before winning the nightcap 6-2.

Game 1: Shepherd 4 – Concord 1
Over the first five innings, Concord senior pitcher Barinder Rakkar and Shepherd's Jamie Driver battled each other as each hurler gave up one run.

CU's run came courtesy of a fielder choice's by senior outfielder T.J. Brockway that scored junior outfielder Andrew Seigel, who got in scoring position by walking and stealing second base in the fourth inning.

After five stellar innings, Rakkar ran into trouble in the sixth inning by walking the bases loaded. Sophomore pitcher Eli Flynn was unable to get out of the jam as Shepherd plated three runs on a bases-loaded walk, wild pitch and sacrifice fly.

Rakkar threw 5.1 innings, giving up just two hits on four earned runs and walking four batters. Flynn recorded the final five outs as he walked one batter.

Driver shut down the Concord offense by allowing just three hits, one each to senior second baseman Jerrod Groves, senior first baseman Ryan Johnson and freshman outfielder Andy Szamski.

Game 2: Concord 6 – Shepherd 2
Concord allowed the Rams to score the first two runs of the game, but a run in the fourth put CU ahead for good.

With Szamski and redshirt freshman catcher Paul Williams on second and third and down 2-0 in the third inning, Seigel stepped to the plate. The Ashburn, Virginia native slapped a hit to first base as he was able to beat the pitcher to the base, scoring Williams. Szamski also scampered home when Shepherd's pitcher dropped the ball at first.

Junior infielder Forest Lewis came across the plate on redshirt freshman infielder Chad Frazier's first Concord RBI base hit in the fourth inning, pushing Concord ahead 3-2.

Szamski also collected his first career RBI as his second double of the day plated junior shortstop Brad Sullivan in the sixth. The Mountain Lions added two more runs in the inning as Shepherd shortstop Tre Porter threw away a groundball hit by Willliams. The blunder plated Frazier and Lewis.

After the third inning, CU starter sophomore Nate Werner settled in to scatter seven hits and gave up two earned runs while fanning two batters. Werner pitched all seven innings to earn his first collegiate win.

Frazier, Lewis, Seigel, Sullivan and Szamski each had a hit for CU while Frazier, Seigel and Szamski all had one RBI a piece.

Concord will host Urbana 12:00 p.m. Saturday at Anderson Field.