ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team won its first two games of a four-game series with Glenville State by scores of 8-2 and 6-5 Saturday afternoon in Mountain East Conference play at Anderson Field.
Concord improves to 19-16 overall and 13-9 against MEC teams. GSC drops to 12-24 on the season and 9-13 versus conference foes.
Game 1: Concord 8 – Glenville State 2
Junior pitcher
Troy Beckner stymied the Glenville State offense, and the Mountain Lions received timely hitting from their own offense on their way to a six-run win.
Junior outfielder
Evan Webb got CU on the board with a two-run, first inning single that plated sophomore outfielder
Adam Linkous and sophomore infielder
Nathan Neff. Webb was in the middle of the Concord scoring in the third inning as he and senior catcher
Paul Williams came in on a bases-loaded hit from junior infielder
Brett Simmons.
Simmons' hit was after the Pioneers had scratched across a run in the top of the third, and right after senior catcher / outfielder
Jordan Clark beat out an infield single to keep the two-out rally alive, allowing CU to go up 4-1.
Clark added a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth as part of a four-run frame for CU. Webb tallied a third RBI in the contest while junior infielder
Adrian Peralta plated a run on a sacrifice fly as well.
Beckner was stellar as he struck out eight Glenville State hitters—including five in the first two innings--on his way to his sixth win of the season. The Roanoke, Virginia native scattered two runs on six hits.
Clark was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate that included his third home run of the season and the 23
rd of his career. Webb was 3-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base.
Game 2: Concord 6 – Glenville State 5
CU erased a 5-3 seventh-inning deficit and notched a walk-off win for the second time this season.
Neither team scored until both squads collected a pair of runs in the fourth inning. An RBI single from Webb followed by an RBI double from junior infielder
Trevor Wiersma tied the score at 2-2.
The Pioneers responded with a two additional runs in the top of the fifth and held the lead until the bottom of the seventh.
Simmons walked and sophomore infielder
Jakob Divers was hit by a pitch to put the tying run on base to begin the seventh. Senior infielder
Chad Frazier became the game's winning run when he dropped down a bunt to load the bases with no outs.
Still down two, Neff cracked the first pitch he saw from reliever Wesley Stauffer through the right side that scored Simmons and pinch runner, sophomore outfielder
Connor Boothe. With Frazier still representing the go-ahead run at second base, Linkous dropped down a bunt that rolled where the GSC shortstop had vacated to cover second base. The momentum carried the ball into shallow left field and allowed Frazier to speed away around third for the game-winning run.
Webb turned in another 3-for-3 performance at the plate. Frazier was 2-for-4 in game two. Despite having just one official at-bat, Simmons scored two runs in the contest.
Sophomore pitcher
Cody Dooley (3-2) recorded the final out of the top of the seventh as he earned the win in relief. Fellow sophomore pitcher
Trent Abernathy pitched 6.2 innings as he gave up three earned runs on nine hits and struck out six.
Abernathy has struck out at least five batters in all six of his starts this season.
The Mountain Lions and Pioneers continue their four-game series 1:00 p.m. Sunday with another doubleheader.
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