ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team fell in a doubleheader to West Liberty, 5-0 and 6-2, Tuesday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at Anderson Field.
Game 1: West Liberty 5 – Concord 0
WLU's Ian Brady tossed a five-hit shutout in game one as he struck out nine Concord (0-7) batters in the contest.
The Mountain Lions loaded the bases in the first inning against Brady, but he was able to induce a sharp line drive to end the CU threat. West Liberty (5-6) broke the scoreless contest in the third with a run, and plated three runs in the fifth inning to give Brady a comfortable lead.
Before the three-run frame for the Hilltoppers, CU nearly took its own lead in the fourth. The Mountain Lions put runners on second and third with two outs before WLU shortstop Colton Coss took away a run-scoring hit with a leaping catch behind the second base bag.
Junior pitcher
Dan Nicholls (0-1) tossed 4.2 innings as he struck out four and allowed just one earned run—four total.
Freshman utility
Eddie Blake had two hits.
Game 2: West Liberty 6 – Concord 2
The Hilltoppers scored six unanswered runs after CU took a brief lead early in the game.
Blake singled home junior infielder
Anthony Stehlin in bottom of the first inning after Stehlin led off the game with his own base knock.
West Liberty responded with a run in the top of the second inning, and took a 3-1 edge in the fourth inning after bringing in two runs, but senior pitcher
Arik Sypher stranded the bases loaded to keep the deficit at two.
In the fifth inning, it appeared Concord was primed to tie the game or take the lead. With the bases loaded, WLU starter Logan Grimm got a strikeout, and West Liberty left fielder Ty Helmke flagged down a deep fly ball off the bat of junior catcher
Chance Davis in the left center field gap to help WLU keep its lead.
The lead for the Hilltoppers grew to 6-1 after the sixth inning.
Junior infielder
Evan Antonellis tripled in the seventh to plate freshman infielder
Michael Dupont to trim the West Liberty lead to 6-2. After consecutive batters reached to load the bases, the tying run came to the plate, but the Hilltoppers escaped with a four-run victory.
Dupont and Stehlin each had two hits in the nightcap.
Sypher (0-1) went 5.1 innings as he struck out six and allowed three earned runs.
Concord begins a weekend trip at Notre Dame 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
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