ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team got a walk-off win, 2-1, in game two of a doubleheader with Shepherd Tuesday afternoon in Mountain East Conference play at the CU Softball Field as the Rams took game one, 7-1.
Concord improves to 26-17 overall and 14-10 in the MEC. The nationally-ranked Rams are 32-8 and 20-4 in the league.
Game 1: Shepherd 7 – Concord 1
SU scored all seven runs in its final three at-bats to erase an early 1-0 deficit to win game one.
The Mountain Lions got a run in the second inning as senior catcher/first baseman
Lauren Blunt and senior outfielder
Abby Beatty strung together consecutive two-out hits with Beatty's double scoring Blunt.
Freshman pitcher/outfielder
Laura Thompson limited the Rams to one hit over the first four innings before being lifted from the game. Shepherd, however, was able to score on the CU bullpen as it tied the game in the fifth and took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the sixth.
Junior pitcher/outfielder
Darby Fitzpatrick (5-5) was tagged with the loss as he allowed four earned runs in three innings. Thompson struck out two batters in her time in the circle.
Shepherd's Lori Sturgill limited Concord to three hits with sophomore outfielder
Dani Bloomingdale joining Beatty and Blunt in the hit column.
Game 2: Concord 2 – Shepherd 1
Thompson's one-out double in the bottom of the seventh scored sophomore catcher/utility
Kaitlyn Stewart as the Mountain Lions earned a pivotal split with SU.
The early stages of the game turned into a pitching duel between Concord's sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Cartney Schoolcraft and Shepherd's Taylor Stocks.
Schoolcraft limited the Rams to two hits while striking out eight batters in the first four innings. Stocks only allowed one hit through the first three CU at-bats, but it changed in the fourth as junior utility
Jenna Witt led off the frame with a solo home run out to right field to push Concord in front 1-0.
Schoolcraft was able to hold the lead for the Maroon and Gray until the top of the seventh when SU produced a two-out single to even the contest.
To begin the bottom of the frame, Stewart doubled to center field to put the winning run into scoring position. Bloomingdale's two-strike single into shallow center field advanced Stewart to third base. After fouling off a series of pitches, Thompson came through with a single into the right center gap to plate Stewart for the winning run.
At the bottom of the order, Bloomingdale had three hits for the Mountain Lions.
Schoolcraft picked her 11
th win of the season by allowing one run on five hits while striking out nine in her complete-game performance.
The Mountain Lions continue their home stand when they host Urbana 3:00 p.m. Thursday.
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