INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team split the first two games of a four-game series against West Virginia State in Mountain East Conference play, winning 3-2, before falling 9-1 in the night cap at Cal Bailey Field.
Concord sports a record of 14-16 overall and 8-6 in the Mountain East Conference while West Virginia State is now 15-9 overall and 10-4 in the league.
Game 1: Concord 3 – West Virginia State 2Two runs by CU in the top of the seventh was enough to propel the Mountain Lions to a one-run win.
WVSU got on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI triple, but Concord answered West Virginia State's run with a run of its own in the top half of the fourth.
After sophomore infielder
Chad Frazier reached on a leadoff walk and stole second, sophomore outfielder
Andy Szamski recorded a sacrifice fly two batters later to score Frazier.
The contest remained tied 1-1 until the seventh.
Szamski drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a passed ball. Two batters later Szamski scored the go-ahead run on an error by West Virginia State. CU bagged an insurance run on an RBI single by senior infielder
Holt Cassada that plated sophomore catcher
Paul Williams.
The Yellow Jackets scored in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly, but could not get any closer as CU hung on for a 3-2 victory.
Senior pitcher
Chris Kelly shut down West Virginia State's offense as he limited WVSU to three hits. Kelly earned his 25
th career win to tie Trey Smith for second on the all-time wins list at Concord.
After the RBI triple in the third by West Virginia State, Kelly retired 10 straight batters to allow Concord to take the lead in the top of the seventh.
Cassada, redshirt freshman outfielder
Jordan Clark and senior infielder
Brad Sullivan each had a hit in game one.
Game 2: West Virginia State 9 – Concord 1Five runs by the Yellow Jackets in the second inning broke a scoreless tie early on as WVSU went on to win 9-1 in the night cap.
West Virginia State had a five-run second and scored three more in the fifth to grab a comfortable lead.
Freshman infielder
Brett Simmons scored Williams on a groundout in the seventh for CU's lone run in the game.
Senior outfielder
Andrew Seigel was 2-for-5 in game two for his 17
th multi-hit game of the season.
Sophomore pitcher
Damon Frazier (4-4) was charge with loss as he gave up eight runs in 4.2 innings.
The teams will finish the series 1:00 p.m. Monday.
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