WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept a Mountain East Conference doubleheader from West Liberty, 4-2 and 8-0, Monday afternoon at Kovalick Field Monday afternoon.
The Mountain Lions improve to 12-5-1 overall and 3-1 in the MEC play. WLU drops to 1-16 and 1-3 versus the conference.
Game 1: Concord 4 – West Liberty 2
CU scored two first-inning runs and never looked back as sophomore pitcher
Andrew Neff quieted the West Liberty offense.
The early offense was a product of back-to-back hits from sophomore infielder
Zack Saryeldin and fifth-year senior infielder
Anthony Stehlin to start the game. With two outs in the frame, freshman infielder/pitcher
MJ Hunter came through with a run-scoring hit.
WLU got a run back in the bottom of the first, but from there Neff shut down the Hilltoppers at the plate. He proceeded to retire 14 of the next 16 batters he faced before a leadoff walk in the sixth.
Concord needed just one hit to give Neff some insurance in the fifth inning. Saryeldin singled to start the frame before Stehlin reached on a hit by pitch. With the two on second and third, Saryeldin scored on a wild pitch before Stehlin raced in on a sacrifice fly.
West Liberty plated a run in the seventh and brought the tying run to bat, however, Neff induced a fly ball to end the game.
Neff (3-2) struck out six and gave up two runs on five hits. It was the fourth straight start for Neff with at least six strikeouts. Saryeldin was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Game 2: Concord 8 – West Liberty 0
The pitching carried over to the nightcap as freshman pitcher/infielder
Rylee Nicholas and fifth-year senior pitcher
Dan Nicholls combined to three-hit West Liberty. That was coupled with a six-run second for the Mountain Lions.
The first three batters reached for CU as freshman catcher
Joey Duffer picked up an RBI to open the scoring. With the bases loaded, sophomore outfielder
D.J. Christian lined a base hit into right center field that scored two. After Saryeldin brought in Hunter on a sacrifice fly, Stehlin capped the rally with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot down the left field line.
Concord added a run in the third inning on a Stehlin sacrifice fly to go up 7-0.
With ample run support, Nicholas did not give up a hit until a leadoff single in the fifth inning. Nicholas improved to 3-0 on the mound as he struck out five of the first seven batters he faced. The Summersville, West Virginia native tossed five innings as he allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Nicholls allowed one base runner in two innings of work as he fanned two hitters.
CU's final run on the afternoon came courtesy of a pinch-hit single by sophomore infielder
Michael Dupont in the seventh
Christian was 3-for-3 with two RBI from the ninth spot in the order. Hunter had two hits and two runs scored. Stehlin was 1-for-3 with three RBI. Duffer added two hits.
The Mountain Lions travel to UVa.-Wise 1:00 p.m. Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader.
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