BECKLEY, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team lost the Mountain East Conference Championship series to West Virginia State as the Yellow Jackets won both games, 9-3.
Concord finishes the season at 18-23. West Virginia State secures the MEC's NCAA Tournament berth at 32-8.
Game 1: West Virginia State 9 – Concord 3
WVSU scored the final eight runs of the game, including six runs between the fifth and seventh innings to overtake Concord.
The Mountain Lions took a 3-1 lead after two innings as junior infielder
Evan Antonellis drove in a pair of runs in the first inning to give CU a 2-1 edge. Junior outfielder
Brandon Bayne added to the Concord lead in the second with a two-out double down the left field line that scored junior catcher
Chance Davis.
With the two-run advantage, senior pitcher
Spencer Hoyt settled in on the mound after allowing a run in the first. The Moneta, Virginia native's only base runner between the start of the second and the end of the fifth was a one-out double in the second as he retired 12 straight.
The Yellow Jackets tied the game at 3-3 with a one-out single in the sixth before taking a 7-3 lead with a four-run seventh.
Hoyt (2-4) was tagged with the loss as he went 6.0 innings, giving up four earned runs. Hoyt tied his career high with 10 strikeouts in the contest.
Freshman infielder
Zack Saryeldin tallied three hits at the top of the CU order. Antonellis had two hits and two RBI. Bayne notched two hits.
Game 2: West Virginia State 9 – Concord 3
West Virginia State claimed the MEC Championship with a victory in the winner-take-all game.
The Yellow Jackets separated themselves from Concord with a five-run sixth with the game tied at 1-1.
Concord was able to tie the game in the top of the sixth after Davis doubled to lead off the frame, and came around to score on a groundout.
Down 6-1 in the top of the seventh, freshman catcher
Chris Satcher's double drew the Mountain Lions a run closer. However, West Virginia State responded with three more runs in the bottom half. CU added a run in the top of the ninth before a sharply-hit line drive to second base ended the game with the bases loaded.
Ortiz finished game by going 2-for-4. Davis, Ortiz and Satcher all had doubles in the contest.
Senior pitcher
Trent Abernathy (5-4) tossed 5.2 innings in his second start of the MEC Tournament. The Harrisonburg, Virginia native allowed three earned runs as he struck out five. In the process, Abernathy tied Ryan Weatherholtz on the program's all-time strikeout list with 223, and set the single-season program record with 85 strikeouts for the season—three better than Will Guay in 2019.
Sunday was the final collegiate games for Abernathy, Davis, senior outfielder
Jon Osteen, senior pitcher
Dylan Whisman and senior infielder
Trevor Wimmer.
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