ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team opened Mountain East Conference play by splitting a two-game series with West Liberty Friday afternoon at Anderson Field.
Concord moves to 6-11 overall and 1-1 in the MEC while West Liberty is 9-5 overall and 1-1 in league.
Game 1: West Liberty 6 – Concord 5 (Eight Innings)The Hilltoppers plated two runs in the top of the eighth, which was the separation they needed to clinch a win in game one.
Throughout the first seven innings, it was a back-and-forth affair with senior outfielder
Andrew Seigel scoring the first run of the game in the first inning on a wild pitch.
WLU scored twice in the top of the fourth before senior infielder
Brad Sullivan brought home Seigel on an RBI double in the bottom of the frame.
The Mountain Lions crossed home plate once in each the fifth and sixth to take a 4-3 advantage as sophomore catcher
Paul Williams doubled home senior infielder
Holt Cassada while freshman infielder
Brett Simmons scored on an error.
However, West Liberty fought back to tie the game in the top of the seventh with two outs in the inning to force extras.
In the top of the eighth, WLU's Tim Hughes hit a solo shot while DJ Busby singled in a run.
Concord would not go quietly in the bottom of the eighth, though. Sophomore outfielder
Andy Szamski singled home Seigel, but West Liberty stranded Concord's tying run on third base to end the game one batter later. Â
In game one, Sullivan was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Szamski posted a 2-for-5 showing with an RBI while Seigel was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.
Senior pitcher
Chris Kelly (3-2) allowed six runs (four earned) in eight innings as he struck out three.
Game 2: Concord 12 – West Liberty 7Concord scored 10 unanswered to erase an early 4-0 deficit and win 12-7 in the nightcap.
After WLU plated three runs in the first and another run in the second, the CU bats broke out for a four-spot in the bottom of the third.
In the third, the rally started by Seigel reaching on a dropped fly ball by WLU's center fielder Jordan Meyer.
Back-to-back singles by redshirt freshman infielder
Trevor Wiersma and redshirt freshman catcher / first baseman
Jordan Clark scored Concord's first two runs before Williams dropped a hit into shallow center field to score Clark and Wiersma.
The Mountain Lions broke through for a six-run frame in the fifth inning. Consecutive walks to Clark and Wiersma started the inning before Cassada, sophomore infielder
Chad Frazier and Williams all reached on balls that never left the infield. Frazier's hit was an RBI base knock that scored Clark.
Seigel would have the big blow in the inning as he cleared the bases on an RBI triple before scoring on a run-scoring hit from Sullivan to cap the frame.
CU added two more runs in the sixth inning on bases-loaded walks by Frazier and Seigel.
WLU scored two runs in the top of the seventh to draw within 12-7, but sophomore pitcher
Damon Frazier induced a groundout with the bases loaded to end the game and give Concord a five-run win.
In the nightcap, Seigel was 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored as he reached base in all six plate appearances.
C. Frazier and Williams each had two hits and two RBI while Wiersma also posted a two-hit game with an RBI added.
D. Frazier moved to 3-2 on the year as he surrendered four earned runs while striking out one batter in a complete-game effort.
CU's doubleheader with Wheeling Jesuit has been moved from Saturday to a 1:00 p.m. start Monday at Anderson Field.
Â
