Concord Uses Stellar Pitching to Defeat Bluefield State

ATHENS, W.Va-  Concord used a stellar pitching effort from freshman Abby Beatty and junior Sarah Herndon, while getting plenty of run support, to defeat Bluefield State in a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon. 
 
Concord improves to 9-2 this season while BSC drops to 0-8.

Game 1: Concord 9 - Bluefield State 0
Game one started off well for the Mountain Lions, as junior shorstop Alayna Furr started the game off with the single to begin what would be a four-run inning for the Mountain Lions.  

Concord continued to get on base after an error allowed freshman pitcher/utility Aarron Ward to reach first, and  Furr scored from third base. Senior catcher Alyssa Morris continued her fast start to the season, getting a single to continue the inning for the Mountain Lions. Junior outfielder Lauren Lewis hit a single, stole second, and then proceeded to score after senior second baseman Kristen Rose drove her home from a single of her own to complete the four-run inning. 
 
Concord managed to snag another run in the second inning after a wild pitch helped Furr score her second run of the day. CU managed to score two more runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to put the game out of reach.   
 
Beatty would settle in after allowing two base runners in the first inning, allowing just one hit throughout the rest of the game and just two total through seven innings to notch the win in the circle for CU.

Furr led Concord offensivel with three hits and two runs scored. Lewis registered two hits and drove in three runs.

Game 2: Concord 8 - Bluefield State 0
Game two did not start as fast for the Mountain Lions, managing to score only one run through the first three innings off of sophomore Courtney Purtell's sacrifice fly to bring home Herndon. 
 
However, Concord exploded for five runs in the fourth inning, with sophomore catcher Nicole Neri slamming her second career home run to drive in three runs, while Ward drove in two more runs off of a double later in the frame.
 
Concord would seal the game after Beatty hit a solo shot, followed by Herndon doubling to right center field before Neri drove home the Berryville, Virginia native to make the score 8-0. 
 
Herndon and Beatty combined to allow just six hits throughout the day, and did not give up a run. Additionally, Herndon struck out a career-high nine batters in her complete-game shuout.

Concord has a quick turnaround when they face Carson Newman tomorrow at home.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.