MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.- The Concord University softball team dropped two games on the second day of the Snowbird Freeze Out Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Concord fell to Kutztown 5-1 in game one, before dropping an 11-8 decision to Molloy in game two.
Concord's record evens at 5-5, while Kutztown improves to 6-2 and Molloy is now 4-1.
GAME 1: Kutztown 5 – Concord 1
In what was a pitcher's dual early on, Kutztown scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-1 lead before winning 5-1.
After three scoreless innings between the two teams, the Mountain Lions struck first in the bottom of the fourth after senior outfielder
Lauren Lewis led off the inning with a single. The Kearneysville, West Virginia native then rounded the bases courtesy of an error, a groundout, and a passed ball to tally Concord's lone run.
Senior pitcher
Allie Reid stranded runners in scoring position in two of the first three innings and retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings to keep the Bears off the scoreboard before the four-run sixth.
Reid compiled her third complete game of the season while taking the loss in the circle (2-2). Reid and Lewis each finished 2-for-3 from the plate.
GAME2: Molloy 11 – Concord 8
An 11-2 hold for Concord was too much to overcome over its final two at-bats as CU's rally fell short in the nightcap.
Molloy grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Concord answered in the bottom of the frame after Lewis launched her first home run of the year, a solo shot, to make the score 2-1 after one.
Molloy scored four runs in the top of the third to take a 6-1 lead.
The Mountain Lions cut the lead to 6-2 at the bottom of the inning with Lewis once again orchestrating the action. Senior shortstop
Alayna Furr singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a groundout before Lewis singled up the middle to drive in her second RBI of the day.
The Lions seemed to be in control of the game when they took a 9-2 lead at the top of the fifth inning before scoring two more runs in the top of the sixth to take an 11-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Sophomore
Aarron Ward drove in her first two RBI of the season in the bottom of the frame on a two-run home run to score sophomore outfielder/pitcher
Abby Beatty and reduce the Molloy lead to 11-4 heading into the seventh.
After freshman pitcher/first baseman
Rachel Pritchard held Molloy scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Mountain Lions made the game interesting in the bottom half of the frame.
Lewis started things off with a sacrifice fly to score Furr, before senior third baseman
Courtney Purtell ripped an RBI single to left field to score sophomore infielder
Kylie Kent.
An error and several wild pitches by Molloy allowed both Beatty and Purtell to score and reduce the Molloy lead to just three runs, 11-8.
Concord could not plate any more runs in the inning as it fell by three runs.
Furr, Lewis, and Ward each produced two hits for CU, with Ward tallying four RBI and Lewis three in total. Purtell provided Concord's other RBI.
Concord faces Le Moyne and Wilmington on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to conclude the Snowbird Freeze Out Tournament.
