WISE, Va. – The Concord University baseball team split its doubleheader against UVa.-Wise at Stallard Field in Mountain East Conference action Friday afternoon as CU took the first game 3-2, but fell in the nightcap 16-15.
Game 1: Concord 3 – UVa.-Wise 2
A sacrifice fly by senior infielder
Brad Sullivan in the top of the seventh supplied the winning run for the Mountain Lions as they picked up the game one victory.
CU jumped on the board first when senior infielder
Holt Cassada hustled home on a UVa.-Wise error. Sullivan scored the game's next run in the fifth on his second solo home run in as many games to give Concord a 2-0 edge.
However, the Cavaliers evened up things with a two-run home run by Ben Coffman in the sixth inning.
After a leadoff double from Cassada to start the seventh, Sullivan drove a ball to right field, three batters later, that was deep enough to score Cassada for the decisive run in the game.
Senior pitcher
Chris Kelly allowed just one base runner in the bottom of the seventh to earn his seventh win of the season while also tying the all-time wins record at Concord with his 27
th career victory. Kelly scattered nine hits while striking out five batters in the game.
Cassada and sophomore infielder
Chad Frazier each had two hits while Sullivan added both CU RBI in the game.
Game 2: UVa.-Wise 16 – Concord 15
The second game turned into a slugfest between the team as they combined for 31 runs, 41 hits and 15 extra-base hits with the Cavaliers' Ryan Dickt belting a two-run home run in the eighth for the winning runs.
After falling behind 6-1 after four inning, the Mountain Lions scored 11 unanswered runs in their next three at-bats to take a 12-6 lead going to the bottom of the seventh.
Redshirt freshman outfielder
Jordan Clark, Frazier and freshman infielder
Brett Simmons each had RBI in the fifth before Frazier and redshirt freshman
Trevor Wiersma fueled a six-run sixth inning.
Frazier cleared the bases on a triple, and Wiersma allowed Frazier to score on his fourth home run of the season in the sixth.
CU added to its lead in the seventh as Sullivan scored senior outfielder
Andrew Seigel and Simmons on a double.
But UVa.-Wise came back with six runs of its own in the seventh to tie the game 12-12.
The see-saw affair continued in the top of the eighth with Clark leading off the frame with his team-leading seventh home run of the season. The Mountain Lions added two more runs including a bunt RBI single from Seigel that plated sophomore catcher
Paul Williams.
The Cavaliers answered once again as they climbed within 15-14 on a two-run triple from David Thomas and then took the lead on Dickt's home run.
Concord was retired in order in the ninth as it dropped a wild game, 16-15.
Frazier and Sullivan each had four RBI with Sullivan finishing the game 5-for-6. The Mechanicsville, Maryland native is 10-for-13 with 10 RBI in his last three games and has seen his average climb from .355 to .388 in that span.
Clark and Wiersma also had multi-RBI games.
Sullivan led five different Concord players with at least three hits in the game and also included Seigel (four), Cassada (three), Simmons (three) and sophomore outfielder
Andy Szamski (three).
CU tallied 23 hits, just one shy of its season-high.
Sophomore pitcher
Reece Edwards (2-3) was charged with the loss as he gave up four runs (one earned) in 1.2 innings. Starting junior pitcher
Nate Werner tossed 3.2 innings while allowing six runs.
Concord and UVa.-Wise resume their series 1:00 p.m. Sunday at Anderson Field for Senior Day.
CU can clinch an MEC Tournament spot by winning one of the two games OR West Virginia Wesleyan losing two of its four games against Glenville State.
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