ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team split its first two games of a weekend series with West Virginia Wesleyan Friday afternoon at Anderson Field as Concord fell 10-8 in game one, but bounced back to win 18-5 in the nightcap.
The Mountain Lions move to 19-16 overall and 12-6 in the Mountain East Conference while WVWC is 13-20 overall and 11-7 in the league.
Game 1: West Virginia Wesleyan 10 – Concord 8
The Bobcats scored all 10 of their runs in the middle innings to take control of the contest on their way to a game one victory.
CU opened up a 5-0 lead after three innings as sophomore outfielder
Evan Webb hit a solo home run, his second of the season, to push Concord out in front 1-0 in the second.
The Mountain Lions added to their lead in the third as sophomore catcher
Jordan Clark blasted a grand slam the other way over the right field fence to stake out a 5-0 lead for Concord.
The homer scored junior infielder
Chad Frazier, Webb and sophomore infielder
Trevor Wiersma.
Wesleyan answered with four runs in the fourth and added five more in the fifth to gain a 9-5 edge in the contest.
Concord responded right back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to close within 9-8. However, WVWC stranded CU's tying run at second base to end the inning.
The Bobcats scored an insurance run in the sixth, but Concord had just two baserunners over the final two innings as it lost by two runs.
Clark finished game one 2-for-3 with the grand slam and his first career triple. Freshman infielder
Jakob Divers, sophomore infielder
Brett Simmons and Webb each tallied two hits with
Divers and Webb both notching an RBI.
Sophomore pitcher
Troy Beckner (6-1) was tagged with his first loss this season as he tossed four innings and allowed four runs.
Game 2: Concord 18 – West Virginia Wesleyan 5
Concord scored at least one run in each of the first six innings as it earned a split with WVWC.
Up 5-2 going to the bottom of the fourth, the Mountain Lions put the game out of reach with a five-run frame. All five runs came with two outs as well.
Divers and Webb each had an RBI single in the inning before Simmons drew a bases-loaded walk. Freshman outfielder
Carter Shrewsbury capped the frame with a two-RBI single into left field that plated Clark and Divers.
The Mountain Lions had another big inning in the sixth as Webb doubled home two runs, and Clark and Frazier each tallied an RBI.
Senior pitcher
Austin Southcott elevated his record to 4-3 on the season as he threw seven innings, allowing five runs and striking out four batters.
Clark, Simmons and Webb each finished with three RBI in the nightcap. Frazier and freshman infielder
Nathan Neff each recorded three hits. Clark led all players with four hits.
Frazier finished a triple shy of the cycle as he launched his third home run of the season in the third inning. Sophomore infielder
Adrian Peralta hit his first career home run in the ninth inning over the left field fence.
The Mountain Lions and WVWC will resume the series 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
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