ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team lost a pair of games to UVa.-Wise, 8-5 and 5-4, Wednesday afternoon at the CU Softball Field in Mountain East Conference play.
Game 1: UVa.-Wise 8 – Concord 5 (12 Innings)
UVa.-Wise's Kaylee Jones smacked a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the 12
th, and it was the ultimate difference in the game.
The teams went to extra innings tied at 2-2, and neither team could string together hits in the eighth and ninth innings. However, the Cavaliers (14-15, 8-6 MEC) manufactured a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10
th before freshman pitcher/outfielder
Laura Thompson raced in on an UVa.-Wise error in the bottom half to send the contest to the 11
th.
The Cavaliers once again scratched across a score on a fielder's choice in the top half, but Concord (19-14, 7-7 MEC) answered with an RBI single off the bat of senior catcher/first baseman
Lauren Blunt in the bottom of the 11
th to bring in sophomore outfielder Dani Bloomingdale.
With runners on second and third and no outs for UVa.-Wise in the 12
th, junior pitcher/outfielder
Darby Fitzpatrick induced a groundout and popup to junior utility
Amber Stokes at second base. It appeared as though Fitzpatrick may strand the go-ahead run, but after loading the bases Jones came up and homered over the left field fence.
Senior utility
Kylie Kent accounted for the first two CU runs as she notched a two-out single in the first to plate Thompson. In the third, Kent homered for the first time in her career to push Concord ahead 2-0 at the time.
At the top of the order, Thompson had four of the 10 hits for Concord. Blunt and Kent each had two hits. Fitzpatrick (2-3) was the tough luck loser as she tossed 162 pitches and all 12 innings, allowing five earned runs.
Game 2: UVa.-Wise 5 – Concord 4
The Mountain Lions' seventh-inning rally came up just short as the Cavaliers held on in the nightcap.
With Concord leading 2-1 in the fourth, UVa.-Wise re-took the lead and added a run each in the sixth and seventh to go up 5-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs in the inning, Thompson kept the rally alive with a double to the left center field gap to score Stokes. The next batter, Kent, was able to beat out an infield single and an error allowed Thompson to score.
With Kent representing the tying run, junior utility
Jenna Witt came up and sent a single into right field, but the Cavaliers' right fielder, Ava Hockey, threw Kent out at home to end the game.
CU was able to take the lead in the bottom of the third as sophomore catcher/utility
Kaitlyn Stewart scored on an error and Witt drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to push Concord ahead 2-1.
Sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Cartney Schoolcraft (8-4) tied her career high in strikeouts with 10 over six innings while allowing four earned runs.
Thompson paced the offense once again with three hits and two runs scored.
Concord continues MEC play 1:00 p.m. Saturday at West Liberty.
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