ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team swept a doubleheader from Wheeling, 7-3 and 8-0, Saturday afternoon in Mountain East Conference play at the CU Softball Field.
Game 1: Concord 7 – Wheeling 3
The Mountain Lions (10-14, 8-8 MEC) scored six of their seven runs during the second inning as Wheeling (7-17, 4-10 MEC) was unable to recover.
After consecutive singles by senior outfielder/pitcher
Darby Fitzpatrick and sophomore catcher/outfielder
Jolie Privett to start the second, sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Josie Brewer came through with a run-scoring triple, then scored herself on a throwing error to give CU a 3-0 lead.
With two outs in the inning, back-to-back doubles from senior catcher/utility
Kaitlyn Stewart and junior third baseman/outfielder
Sarah Thompson as well as a run-scoring single from senior outfielder
Dani Bloomingdale plated three more runs.
WU scored in both the third and fourth innings as it trimmed the Concord lead to 6-3.
The first three runners reached for CU in the bottom of the fourth inning as junior pitcher/outfielder
Laura Thompson scored on S. Thompson's single down the right field line to push the lead back to 7-3.
The Cardinals threatened in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases with one out, but L. Thompson got a strikeout and a groundout to hold the lead at four runs.
L. Thompson (4-6) struck out a season-best nine as she scattered eight hits and three runs over seven innings.
Privett, Stewart and S. Thompson all had two hits in the game with S. Thompson adding two RBI.
Game 2: Concord 8 – Wheeling 0 (Six Innings)
Concord scored at least one run in its first three at-bats, and senior pitcher/outfielder
Cartney Schoolcraft tossed the first shutout of the season for the Mountain Lions.
Senior utility
Jenna Witt started her four-hit performance off with a single back through the middle to begin game two before L. Thompson and Stewart came up with consecutive run-scoring hits to push CU in front 2-0. With Concord still batting in the first, a squeeze play from Bloomingdale drove in Stewart.
Two more runs scored in the second as Fitzpatrick raced home on a wild pitch after starting the inning with a single. Senior catcher/third baseman
Lauren Richardson, who doubled behind Fitzpatrick, crossed home on a base hit from freshman utility
Alyssa Bernardini.
A Richardson infield single in the third plated a sixth CU run.
Staked out to the early lead, Schoolcraft retired 13 of the first 15 batters she faced, and didn't allow a runner past first base until the fifth inning.
Up 6-0 in the sixth inning, Richardson came up with her second double of the game before Witt followed with a triple two batters later. The Mountain Lions were able to end the game on a sacrifice fly from L. Thompson during the next at-bat
Richardson and Witt combined for seven of the Concord hits as Witt tallied her first career four-hit game.
Schoolcraft (3-5) gave up four hits and walked two as she struck six over six innings, throwing CU's first shutout since March 8, 2020.
The Mountain Lions finish off a four-game weekend home stand with a doubleheader against West Liberty 2:00 p.m. Sunday.
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