ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team split the opening two games of a four-game series with West Virginia Wesleyan Friday afternoon at Anderson Field in Mountain East Conference action.
Concord rolled to a 7-3 win in the opener before a gut-wrenching 4-2 loss in 11 innings in the nightcap.
Game 1: Concord 7 – West Virginia Wesleyan 3After a three-run second inning by the Maroon and Gray, CU (24-14, 20-12 MEC) took a commanding 4-0 lead and did not look back in winning by four runs.
All four runs the Mountain Lions plated in the second came with two outs, and also after WVWC (14-13, 13-13 MEC) committed an error to keep the inning alive. Junior infielder
Holt Cassada singled home senior first baseman
Ryan Johnston before Cassada and redshirt freshman third baseman / designated hitter
Damon Frazier came around to score on a base hit from senior outfielder
Jerrod Groves.
Concord stretched its lead out in the third and fifth inning as senior outfielder
T.J. Brockway's single scored redshirt freshman catcher
Paul Williams in the third. Meanwhile in the fifth, Frazier launched his second home run of the season to make it a 6-1 game in favor of CU.
The Bobcats responded with a two-run home run of their own in the sixth inning, however, Groves added his third RBI on the game in the sixth inning to give the Mountain Lions a comfortable 7-3 edge.
CU junior pitcher
Chris Kelly tossed a complete game as he gave up two earned runs and struck out three batters while retiring the last five batters of the game after giving up the home run. Kelly is 6-1 this season.
Groves had a team-high three hits in the game while Brockway, Seigel and Sullivan each had two hits.
Game 2: West Virginia Wesleyan 4 – Concord 2 (11 Innings)After scoring a run in the top of the 10
th, CU responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, but two more runs by the Bobcats in the top of the 11
th was the difference in the game.
Sophomore
Zach Kelly and WVWC's James Gainer matched each other pitch-for-pitch over the first 10 innings as they combined to throw 244 pitches in 19.2 innings of work.
After each team scored a run in the third inning, both Kelly and Gainer settled in to keep the game tied at 1-1 until the 10th. After the Bobcats took a 2-1 edge, the Mountain Lions were down to their final strike in the game with Williams, a pinch hitter, at the plate.
The Vinton, Virginia native smacked a ball up the middle that WVWC second baseman Michael Bolla was able to track down, but Williams beat out the throw allowing pinch runner sophomore outfielder
Steven Schiffour to race home from second.
However, WVWC answered with two runs in the top of the 11
th, and Concord stranded the potential game-tying run at first base to end the game.
Z. Kelly tossed 9.2 innings while giving up two earned runs and striking out four batters. The Daleville, Virginia also got the help of four double plays.
Johnston recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.
Concord and West Virginia Wesleyan will matchup for another doubleheader 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
Prior to Saturday's first game, the 2015 seniors of Brockway, pitcher
Bryant Pybus, Groves, Johnston and pitcher Barinder Rakker will be recognized.
