ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team finished off a four-game sweep of West Virginia Wesleyan on Monday afternoon by winning both ends of a doubleheader, 12-2 and 7-6, at Anderson Field in Mountain East Conference South Division action.
Game 1: Concord 12 – West Virginia Wesleyan 2
Already up 4-1, Concord (23-9, 13-7 MEC) used a seven-run fifth inning to pull away from Wesleyan (14-24, 7-13 MEC) in a game one win.
Freshman outfielder
Josh Adkins collected his second RBI of the season in the second inning as he tied the score on a ground single just past the Bobcats' diving second baseman. Senior outfielder
Evan Webb and junior outfielder
Ryan Fralin each had RBI in a two-run second, and Webb collected a second RBI in the third inning by singling home senior infielder
Brett Simmons.
In the fifth inning, CU pieced together three straight singles to load the bases. Simmons got junior infielder
Nathan Neff home on a sacrifice fly before another run scored on a Wesleyan error. With two runners on, junior catcher
Jakob Divers shot a single into center field to plate two runs before scoring on Webb's home run during the next at-bat. Senior catcher
Jordan Clark followed by homering out to right field for back-to-back big flies.
Concord added a run in the sixth on a Wesleyan error.
Senior pitcher
Troy Beckner used the plethora of runs to toss his first complete game of the season as he improved to 4-1. Beckner struck out five Bobcats as he allowed two runs on three hits.
Seven of the nine starters for CU had at least two hits in the contest as Concord notched 16 hits. Adkins had a team-high three hits. Webb added four RBI to his two hits.
Game 2: Concord 7 – West Virginia Wesleyan 6 (10 Innings)
The Mountain Lions rallied back from a 6-3 seventh-inning deficit before getting the walk-off win in the 10
th.
Concord jumped out quick to a 3-0 advantage through three innings. CU strung three straight two-out hits together in the first as Webb drove in sophomore infielder
Anthony Stehlin to give the Maroon and Gray a 1-0 edge.
A sacrifice fly from Divers and a Webb double to the right center gap were responsible for two runs in the third inning. However, the next six scores belonged to WVWC as it broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and added a run on a solo home run in the seventh.
Down to its final out, Stehlin drew a walk to keep the rally alive. The next pitch in the game—after Stehlin's walk—was Divers' first home run of the season to draw Concord within 6-5. Webb followed with a single that kicked off the pitcher's foot for a base hit. Clark grinded out a nine-pitch walk to push Webb into scoring position. After the base on balls, Neff floated a double down the right field line to tie the game.
Wesleyan pushed the go-ahead run into scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings, but junior outfielder
Adam Linkous thwarted the threat each half inning.
In the 10
th, Clark led off the inning with a line drive single. During the Neff's at-bat, Clark advanced to second on a wild pitch and hustled to third on a throwing error by the Wesleyan catcher in an attempt to throw out Clark at second. On a 1-2 pitch, Neff lined the ball into center field where the WVWC center fielder was unable to make the catch allowing Clark to score the winning run.
Divers and Webb combined for five hits and five RBI in the game.
Linkous (2-1) earned the win in relief by allowing one run and three hits while striking out three in four innings of work.
Monday was CU's first four-game sweep of an opponent since March 28-29, 2015 against Glenville State.
Concord welcomes Winston-Salem State for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch Tuesday at Anderson Field.
Â
