WEST LIBERTY, W.Va- The Concord University softball team picked up two road wins at West Liberty on Saturday afternoon, 4-2 and 6-4.
Concord evens its record at 20-20 (9-7 MEC), while West Liberty drops to 11-17 overall (5-11 MEC).
GAME 1: Concord 4 – West Liberty 2
A three-run first inning powered by doubles from sophomore outfielder
Lindsey Stahl and senior pitcher
Allie Reid proved to be enough as freshman pitcher/first baseman
Rachel Pritchard and freshman pitcher/outfielder
Darby Fitzpatrick held West Liberty to two runs.
Concord got on the board early in the top of the first after sophomore infielder
Kylie Kent singled to center field with one out. Stahl brought Kent home from first on a double to continue her solid run of form in the batter's box and give the Mountain Lions a 1-0 lead.
The Brownsburg, Indiana native scored herself from second base when sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Abby Beatty singled down the right field line to give CU a 2-0 lead. Reid stretched the lead out ot 3-0 with her own double to plate Beatty.
Concord added an insurance run in the top of the fourth after a single from Reid with one out started the proceedings.
Senior outfielder
Lauren Lewis then smashed a double to left center field to score Reid and give CU a 4-0 lead.
West Liberty looked to get back into the game after scoring a run each in the bottom of the fourth and the bottom of the sixth.
Fitzpatrick helped alleviate the West Liberty comeback by retiring four of the last five batters in the bottom of the sixth and seventh inning to earn her first career save. .
Pritchard (4-3) provided a strong outing in the circle, scattering nine hits while allowing two earned runs over 5.2 innings.
Beatty finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Reid also recorded a 2-for-3 game with a run driven in.
Lewis and Stahl each added a hit while driving a run in apiece.
Game 2: Concord 6 – West Liberty 4
Kent provided the go-ahead single in the sixth to lift Concord to a come-from-behind victory and complete the sweep of WLU.
This time it was the Hilltoppers who jumped out to an early lead after an error by Concord allowed WLU to score two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Mountain Lions chipped away at the WLU lead shortly afterwards after back-to-back two-out doubles from freshman second baseman/shortstop
Jenna Witt and freshman catcher
Calli Van Gorden cut the Hilltopper lead to 2-1 in the second inning.
WLU restored the two-run advantage in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double to take a 3-1 lead after two.
But in the top of the third with senior third baseman
Courtney Purtell on base after a single, Beatty belted her sixth home run of the season tie the game, 3-3.
The Hilltoppers regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single.
However, the Mountain Lions responded in the top of the fifth inning after senior shortstop
Alayna Furr singled to shortstop to lead off the inning.
Purtell, then, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Furr to second to set up an RBI single from Beatty down the left field line.
The Mountain Lions took control of the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning after Kent singled home Lewis to give CU a 5-4 lead.
Concord added an additional run in the top of the seventh with Lewis once again involved, this time bringing home Stahl on a single to right field.
Reid shut down the Hilltoppers in the bottom of the seventh, retiring three of the four batters in the inning to clinch a 6-4 win over WLU and secure the first season sweep of West Liberty since 2013.
Furr finished 3-for-4 on the day with a run scored.
Lewis also finished 3-for-4 from the plate for her second three-hit game of the season.
Beatty and Witt each picked up two hits, with the Beatty adding three RBI.
Kent and Van Gorden notched Concord's other runs driven in. Van Gorden's double was the first hit of her career for the Maroon and Gray.
Reid (8-7), picked up her 37
th career win in relief, tossing five innings while allowing five hits and just one earned run. The Lovettsville, Virginia native also struck out two batters.
Concord faces Wheeling Jesuit Sunday at noon.
