Concord's Strong Offense Leads to Sweep of Fairmont State

FAIRMONT, W.Va. - A high-powered offensive display helped carry the Concord University softball team as it swept the Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State by scores of 8-2 and 12-7, respectively. 
 
Concord improves to 23-15 overall (12-8 MEC), while Fairmont State falls to 14-18 overall (9-9 MEC). 
 
Game 1: Concord 8 - Fairmont State 2
After trailing for the first four innings 1-0, Concord warmed up the bats during the fourth inning.  

Senior catcher Alyssa Morris launched her eighth home run of the season to drive home sophomore third baseman Alycea Watson and take the lead 2-1. 

Sophomore designated hitter Nicol Neri then singled later in the inning to score senior second baseman / outfielder Kristen Rose to extend the Concord lead to 3-1. 

Concord used the long ball in the fifth as junior outfielder Lauren Lewis hit her fourth home run of the season, three of which have come in the past seven games. After Lewis's homer, Concord led 4-1

Several wild pitches by FSU added to the Concord lead as they plated one in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Junior shortstop Alayna Furr would single in freshman pitcher / utility Aarron Ward to tally Concord's final run in the eighth inning and seal the game.
 
Morris finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Lewis went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run.
 
Junior pitcher Sarah Herndon went the distance, only allowing one earned run and notching her tenth win of the season.    
 
Game 2: Concord 12 - Fairmont State 7 
The Mountain Lions started quickly as once again FSU was erractic in the circle, allowing Concord to score two runs on wild pitches.

The fast start continued for CU in the first inning as Morris launched another two-run home run before Ward doubled home Rose and freshman catcher / first baseman Lauren Blunt sacrificed in Ward to cap a six-run first inning.
 
Fairmont State made a rally of its own by scoring seven runs in the second to gain a 7-6 edge.
 
Neither team scored again until the fifth inning, as Morris scored Watson off of an RBI single to right field to tie the game. 

Freshman outfielder Lindsey Stahl stepped up in the top of the sixth inning to drive her first home run of the season over the center field fence to help the Mountain Lions reclaim the lead, 8-7. Furr scored off of a passed ball to extend the lead before Herndon would close the scoring for the inning with a single to drive home Watson, giving Concord a 10-7 lead.

In the seventh, CU added some two-out insurance runs with Stahl smacking another home run and Lewis scoring Blunt on a single after Blunt walked two batters earlier.
 
Stahl finished 3-for-4 for the game, with two RBI. The two home runs were the first for her career. Morris was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Furr and Lewis each had two hits while Watson scored three times.
 
Herndon collected the win in relief duty to even her record on the season at 11-11. Herndon pitched 5.2 innings, scattering two hits and fanning two hitters.
 
Concord travels to Shepherd to play the Rams in a doubleheader 1:00 p.m. Sunday.