BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Concord University softball team dropped a pair of one-run games, 5-4 and 4-3, to King Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader at the King Softball Field.
Game 1: King 5 – Concord 4
The Tornado (11-5) scored five unanswered runs as a 2-0 lead was unable to hold up for Concord (3-9).
The Mountain Lions immediately got on the board as the first three batters of the game reached, including singles form freshman third baseman
Kylee Stacy and senior catcher
Mikayah Pulliam. With two outs in the first, a fly ball was unable to be corralled by King allowing Pulliam and Stacy to score.
KU evened the game in the bottom of the second and the game remained knotted at 2-2 until the bottom of the six. After freshman pitcher/infielder
Rachael Koller scattered three hits between the third and fifth innings, the Tornado solved Koller with three runs on two hits.
However, Concord wasn't done at the plate.
A leadoff error got the Mountain Lions' rally started in the top of the seventh. Freshman utility
Delaney Fulk followed with her first career home run, a two-run shot to center field to draw Concord to within 5-4.
A second error in the frame put the tying run on base, but King escaped with three straight outs to hold off Concord.
Five players combined for the CU hits. Fulk collected two RBI.
Koller (2-4) struck out six over six innings as three of her five runs were earned.
Game 2: King 4 – Concord 3 (Eight Innings)
King recorded a walk-off win after Concord scored three straight runs to take a brief 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth.
The Tornado tallied the first runs of the contest with a two-run bottom of the fourth.
But, CU immediately came back with two of its own runs in the top of the fifth.
A walk and single got the rally started before each runner advanced on a sacrifice. Freshman second baseman/shortstop
Kayla McCraw scored on a wild pitch before senior pitcher/outfielder
Laura Thompson brought in freshman second baseman/outfielder
Aubrey Matice with a base hit back through the middle.
The deadlock remained until Concord's eighth inning. With Thompson on second to start the frame, she was able to race home on freshman first baseman/outfielder
Kassidy Garvey's single and subsequent error to push CU in front 3-2.
King answered with an RBI double in the bottom half before a run-scoring single ended the game.
Thompson and freshman pitcher/first baseman
Caitlyn Bauer combined to strike out 10 as they gave up three earned runs. Bauer (1-3) was charged with the loss in 3.1 innings of relief. Thompson tossed the first four frames.
Garvey had two of the five Concord hits. Â
The Mountain Lions start action at The Spring Games in Winter Haven, Florida 3:45 p.m. Monday against Trevecca Nazarene.
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