CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team split the final two games of its Mountain East Conference series against Charleston Sunday afternoon at Triana Field as
Concord took game one 3-2 before falling 5-2 in the second contest.
Game 1: Concord 3 – Charleston 2
Concord (28-15, 17-11 MEC) rallied in the seventh to tie the game before taking the lead in the eighth inning.
Tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Eagles (30-16, 22-6 MEC) took the lead on a wild pitch with a runner at third base. However, the Mountain Lions quickly stole back the momentum as junior infielder
Nathan Neff doubled to lead off the seventh. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, Neff scored on a looping single down the left field line from freshman outfielder
Josh Adkins.
Junior outfielder
Adam Linkous retired the side in order in the seventh to send the game to extras. CU loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. With two outs in the inning, junior outfielder
Ryan Fralin worked a 10-pitch walk to bring in sophomore infielder
Anthony Stehlin who represented the go-ahead run.
Like the seventh, Linkous got Charleston to go down 1-2-3 as CU held on for the 3-2 win.
The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first before senior outfielder
Evan Webb tied the game with a ground-rule double in the fourth.
Linkous improved to 3-1 on the season as retired all seven batters he faced including striking three out. Webb recorded three hits.
Concord starter, sophomore
Logan Morrison, threw 5.2 innings as he scattered five hits and two runs to go with three strikeouts.
Game 2: Charleston 5 – Concord 2
UC scored four of its five runs in the second inning as it broke up a 1-1 tie between the teams.
Webb ripped his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, to knot the game in the top of the second after Charleston had went ahead in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout.
The Golden Eagles were able to piece together four runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame including a two-RBI single from Brice Arrington to gain a 5-1 advantage.
In the fifth, CU was able to load the bases but only came away with one run as senior catcher
Jordan Clark scored on a fielder's choice. Again the Mountain Lions had the tying run at the plate in the sixth, but a double play ended the threat.
Charleston starter Jack Brunetti limited Concord to three hits in the second game. Senior pitcher
Troy Beckner (5-2) was charged with the loss as he gave up three earned runs in six innings while striking out four. Beckner broke the program's all-time record for strikeouts as he has now 226 career punch outs.
CU faces Mercer County rival Bluefield State 5:00 p.m. Tuesday at Bowen Field in Bluefield.
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