BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept two games from Fairmont State, 9-0 and 8-5, Thursday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex.
CU elevates its record to 14-12 overall and 8-2 versus conference foes. The Mountain Lions have won 12 of their last 15 games. Meanwhile, FSU drops to 13-14 overall and 5-5 in the MEC.
Game 1: Concord 9 – Fairmont State 0
Sophomore pitcher
Troy Beckner continued his recent run of success and the CU offense provided the Roanoke, Virginia native with plenty of run support.
Beckner improved to 5-0 on Thursday as he retired 12 batters via the strikeout, a career-high. Beckner limited a Fairmont State offense that had a team average over .300 to four hits over his seven-inning, complete-game performance. Beckner became the first pitcher in the both the MEC and Atlantic Region to tally five wins this season.
From the fourth inning on, Becker allowed just two batters to reach base. The southpaw hasn't allowed a run in 21.2 innings, and went the calendar month of March allowing just one earned run and two total runs. Beckner lowered his ERA to 1.77 after Thursday's performance.
While Beckner was keeping the FSU bats at bay, Concord was generating its own offense.
The Mountain Lions got on the board in the second inning as sophomore infielder
Brett Simmons singled home sophomore infielder
Trevor Wiersma. Later in the frame, sophomore catcher
Jordan Clark scored on a wild pitch, and freshman infielder
Jakob Divers raced home on an FSU error.
In the third, junior infielder
Chad Frazier and junior catcher
Paul Williams scored on a pair of RBI groundouts to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Leading 6-0 in the seventh inning, CU used the long ball as sophomore outfielder
Evan Webb and Clark went back-to-back. Webb's homer was the first of his career and also scored Wiersma while Clark drilled his second home run of the season.
Clark, Frazier and Webb each had two hits. Webb added four RBI in the game.
Game 2: Concord 8 – Fairmont State 5
CU raced out to a 5-1 lead after three inningw then held off a rally in the middle innings rally from Fairmont State to secure a sweep of the Fighting Falcons.
After a two-out error by FSU in the first inning, Webb capitalized as he sent a double to center field, scoring, Williams and Wiersma.
Concord's two runs were answered in the bottom of the first by FSU with a single run, but Frazier responded with two RBI in the top half of the second as his single scored freshman outfielder
Ryan Fralin and Simmons who had connected on back-to-back one-out hits earlier in the frame.
Clark sent his second home run in as many games over the left center field fence to make it a 5-1 advantage for CU going to the fourth inning.
A three-run fourth from Fairmont State cut the Mountain Lions' lead to 5-4.
However in the fifth, Simmons knocked in Clark with a base hit, and later in the frame Simmons scampered home on a wild pitch for two crucial runs that expanded the lead back to 7-4.
Hanging onto a 7-5 edge, freshman infielder
Nathan Neff and Williams manufactured a run for CU in the seventh. After a one-out single by Neff, the Fredericksburg, Virginia native stole second, and advanced to third on Williams' groundout to the right side. A few pitches later, Neff raced home on a wild pitch.
Senior pitcher
Austin Southcott tossed six innings, giving way to freshman pitcher
Trent Abernathy in the seventh.
Southcott evened his record to 3-3 as he allowed four earned runs on six hits while striking out six. Abernathy earned his first collegiate save as he retired nine of the 10 batters he faced including striking out the side in the seventh inning.
Simmons recorded his first three-hit game of the season. Clark, Frazier and Neff each had two hits. Frazier and Webb tallied two RBI each.
Concord hosts Shepherd 1:00 p.m. Sunday at Anderson Field in a clash of divisional leaders. Shepherd is 9-1 in the MEC North.
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