WHEELING, W.Va- The Concord University softball team split a pair of contests against Wheeling Jesuit on Sunday afternoon in Mountain East Conference play.
Concord maintains a .500 record at 21-21 (10-8 MEC), while Wheeling Jesuit is now 15-15 overall (7-7 MEC).
Game 1: Wheeling Jesuit 9 – Concord 0
Two home runs from WJU's Dana Achille and three in total steered Cardinals to five-inning victory over Mountain Lions.
Concord started game one with promise after sophomore infielder
Kylie Kent and sophomore outfielder/pitcher
Abby Beatty each singled to put runners on first and second with one out.
A single from senior pitcher
Allie Reid loaded the bases with two outs, but the Mountain Lions couldn't pick up any runs to keep the game scoreless.
WJU took a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning on a home run from Mallory Chapman.
The Cardinals tallied three more runs in the bottom of the third before Achille's second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth helped the Cardinals win game one 9-0.
Beatty finished with two hits, while Kent and Reid each tallied a hit.
Senior pitcher
Sarah Herndon (3-8) was charged with the loss for Concord.
Game 2: Concord 3 – Wheeling Jesuit 2
Eighth inning go-ahead RBI single from Beatty pushed Concord past Wheeling Jesuit by one run to split series with the Cardinals.
Concord picked up a run to start the game that was started after Kent singled to shortstop.
Beatty then singled up the middle to move Kent to second base. An error by the Cardinals set up a bases loaded situation for senior outfielder
Lauren Lewis.
The Kearneysville, West Virginia native struck a single up the middle to score Kent and give CU a 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
The score remained 1-0 in favor of Concord until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Cardinals grabbed two runs on an RBI double and an RBI single.
The Mountain Lions tied the game at two in the top of the sixth after Reid launched her second home run of the season, a solo shot, to left center with two outs.
After allowing a leadoff single in the sixth, Reid retired the last six batters for the Cardinals to send the game into extra innings.
A two-out double from Kent started the momentum for the Mountain Lions in the eighth inning.
Beatty then singled to center field to bring home junior catcher/outfielder
Chelsea Shepherd, pinch running for Kent, from second base and give CU a 3-2 lead heading to the bottom of the eighth.
The Cardinals threatened in the bottom of the frame after singling to lead off the inning before moving the runner to second on a sacrifice bunt.
However, Reid induced a groundout and a pop out from the final two batters to seal a one-run win for Concord, its seventh of the season by a one-run margin.
Reid pitched a complete game to improve to 9-7 on the year. The Lovettsville, Virginia native allowed seven hits and two earned runs while striking out five batters.
Kent and Beatty each had two hits, while Reid and Lewis picked up Concord's other hits of the day.
Beatty's RBI was her fifth of the weekend.
Concord returns to Athens when it faces Shepherd on April 13 at 3:00 p.m.
