ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team opened up its four-game set with Wheeling Jesuit with a doubleheader sweep of the Cardinals, 7-3 and 6-4, Saturday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at Anderson Field.
The Mountain Lions (22-10, 18-8 MEC) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game one before going on to win 7-3, but had to battle back against Wheeling Jesuit (8-17, 7-13 MEC) in game two after falling in an early 3-0 hole.
Game 1: Concord 7 – Wheeling Jesuit 3An error by Wheeling Jesuit second baseman Brock McGivern plated senior outfielder
T.J. Brockway and senior first baseman
Ryan Johnston in the third inning to give CU a 4-0 advantage.
Earlier in the game, Brockway and freshman outfielder
Andy Szamski gave Concord a 2-0 edge with RBI singles in the first inning.
After WJU had narrowed the deficit to 5-3 in the top of the fifth, Johnston knocked in junior outfielder
Andrew Seigel and Szamski on a single to extend the lead for Concord back out to 7-3, and dampen any hopes Wheeling Jesuit had of coming back in the contest.
Junior pitcher
Chris Kelly scattered 10 hits over seven inning and allowed just two earned runs to run his record to 5-1 this season.
Brockway, senior outfielder
Jerrod Groves and Szamski each had two hits to combine for six of CU's eight hits in game one.
Game 2: Concord 6 – Wheeling Jesuit 4CU erased a 3-0 second inning deficit as it plated five runs in the fourth inning to overtake the Cardinals and not look back.
The fourth began with Szamski doubling down the left field line before he was brought in by Brockway on a one-out single. Two batters later redshirt freshman third baseman / pitcher
Damon Frazier scored Brockway with his own RBI single.
It appeared Wheeling Jesuit was going to escape the inning with just two CU runs crossing the plate as junior infielder
Holt Cassada hit a lazy fly ball to center field, however, WJU's Tyler Kowalczyk misplayed the ball allowing Frazier to score from first and keep the rally alive.
Redshirt freshman infielder
Chad Frazier dropped a double into right field to plate Cassada, and C. Frazier scampered home on another Cardinals' error to cap the scoring for CU in a wild fourth.
Redshirt freshman catcher
Paul Williams singled home Johnston in the fifth to push Concord's lead to 6-3.
However, WJU mounted a comeback.
With one run already in and the game-tying run at the dish, the Cardinals were poised to tie the game, but sophomore pitcher
Nate Werner picked off Logan Schickler from second base to squash the WJU rally and complete his outing.
Werner (4-1) tossed six innings, giving up three earned runs on 10 hits and striking out four.
D. Frazier worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning for his fourth save of the season.
Groves notched another two-hit game while Brockway, C. Frazier, D. Frazier and Williams tallied RBI for CU.
The Mountain Lions will play two more with Wheeling Jesuit 1:00 p.m. Sunday.
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