Concord Notches Pair of Walk-Off Wins to Win Series Over Lake Erie

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball swept two games from Lake Erie, both in walk-off fashion, Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at Anderson Field.

The Mountain Lions won game one 12-11 and won the nightcap 4-3 to improve to 5-10 on the season. LEC falls to 5-6 in 2017.

Game 1: Concord 12 – Lake Erie 11
Three runs by Concord in the bottom of the seventh lifted it to a one-run win.

The rally started with CU down 11-9, and sophomore infielder Adrian Peralta reaching on a strikeout/wild pitch.   After pinch runner and freshman outfielder Carter Shrewsbury advanced to second on wild pitch, he came around to score on a single from junior catcher Paul Williams to draw Concord to 11-10.

The next batter, junior infielder Chad Frazier walked, to put the game-tying run in scoring position for sophomore infielder infielder Trevor Wiersma who plated sophomore infielder and pinch runner Brett Simmons with a single back through the box.

With the score tied at 11-11, Lake Erie elected to walk sophomore outfielder Evan Webb to load the bases with one out. On a 3-2 pitch, freshman infielder Jakob Divers smashed a line
drive at the right fielder who fired the ball towards the plate, but Frazier slid across home plate ahead of the tag to give Concord a 12-11 win.

The Mountain Lions rallied four different times in the game after being down 1-0, 3-2, 6-4 and 11-9. CU scored five runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-6 lead before the Storm answered with five runs in the fifth.

CU's first four hitters of freshman infielder Nathan Neff, Williams, Frazier and Wiersma all had at least two hits with Williams notching a 3-for-5 effort with two RBI. Divers collected three RBI in game one. Along with Williams, Webb and Wiersma each had two.

Senior pitcher Eli Flynn (2-1) got the win for Concord in relief. Flynn tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one baserunner.

Game 2: Concord 4 – Lake Erie 3
Game two had similar drama as Concord once again won the game in last at-bat thanks to a line drive single from Williams that scored freshman outfielder Ryan Fralin.

LEC struck first in the nightcap as two runs came across in the third inning.

After being held hitless through three innings, Concord answered with three runs in the fourth inning. Williams recorded a leadoff double to start the frame before Frazier came through with an RBI triple. A third straight hit from Wiersma plated Frazier to tie the game 2-2. Standing on third with one out, Wiersma came across on sophomore catcher Jordan Clark's sacrifice fly.

Lake Erie clawed back to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth, setting up more nail-biting baseball in the seventh.

Junior outfielder Oscar Garcia drew a leadoff walk to begin the seventh. After being sacrificed over to second, Fralin, the pinch-runner, moved to third on a wild pitch. Once again, the Storm chose to pitch around a CU hitter, this time Neff. On the sixth pitch of his at-bat, Williams ripped a single just past the outstretched Lake Erie third baseman to plate Fralin for the winning run.

Frazier and Williams each had multi-hit games for Concord. Clark, Frazier, Williams and Wiersma each had RBI.

Senior pitcher Austin Southcott (1-2) tossed a complete game for Concord, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits. Southcott fanned nine batters, the most for a CU pitcher in a single game this season.

CU plays Bluefield State in a two-game set 1:00 p.m. Saturday at Hunnicutt Field in Princeton, West Virginia.