WISE, Va. – The Concord University baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader with UVa.-Wise Wednesday afternoon at Stallard Field.
UVa.-Wise (8-18) took the first game, 10-9, but Concord (13-6-1) responded with a 14-11 win in the nightcap.
Game 1: UVa.-Wise 10 – Concord 9 (11 Innings)
CU was unable to hold a lead of 8-2 as the Cavaliers came from behind to take the first game in extra innings.
The Mountain Lions raced out to a 4-0 lead after their first at-bat, scoring all four runs with two outs in the top of the first inning. Freshman catcher
Joey Duffer opened the scoring with a two-run single before junior infielder
Daniel Layne and sophomore outfielder
D.J. Christian added RBI knocks.
Concord tallied a pair of runs in each the second and third innings as fifth-year senior infielder
Anthony Stehlin and junior outfielder
Richard Ortiz provided RBI singles in the second.
The advantage for CU stood up until a home run from the Cavaliers got them to within 8-7 in the sixth, and an RBI single tied the game in the seventh.
Sophomore pitcher
Eddie Blake and Stehlin held UVa.-Wise scoreless in the eighth, ninth and tenth innings to keep the game tied at 8-8. Sophomore infielder
Zack Saryeldin broke the deadlock with a double into left center field in the top of the 11th to score Christian. However, the Cavaliers tied the game with a single and walked off two batters later.
Five different players had two hits for the Mountain Lions. Saryeldin and Stehlin both added two runs scored in addition to two hits. Both of Saryeldin's hits were for doubles. Duffer had two hits and two RBI.
Stehlin (1-1) was the pitcher of record as he struck out three in 2.2 innings while giving up two runs on two hits.
Game 2: Concord 14 – UVa.-Wise 11
Trailing by two runs, 11-9, and down to its final four outs of the contest, the Mountain Lions pieced together a two-out rally in the sixth before taking the lead in the top of the seventh.
Freshman pitcher/infielder
Rylee Nicholas stroked a double to the left center field gap to ignite the sixth-inning comeback. The next batter, freshman pitcher/infielder
MJ Hunter singled into right field to bring in Nicholas. Hunter would then come around to score on Christian's double to left center field.
Junior outfielder
Kyle Keenan retired UVa.-Wise in order in the bottom of the inning to keep momentum on CU's side.
Stehlin led off the seventh with an opposite field double to right before sophomore catcher/infielder
Chris Satcher delivered his own double two batters later to plate Stehlin. The rally continued as Keenan touched home on Duffer's single and Satcher was right behind him on a bunt single from fifth-year senior outfielder
Brandon Bayne.
Keenan was able to silence the Cavaliers at the plate in the bottom of the seventh as he retired the side for a second straight inning to earn his first collegiate win. Keenan added three strikeouts in two inning of relief.
The game featured four lead changes in total. Concord took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-RBI single from Duffer before UVa.-Wise answered with three in the bottom half. With the game tied at 3-3, Saryeldin aided a four-run third with a two-run double.
The Mountain Lions held off the Cavaliers until a three-run fifth pushed UVa.-Wise ahead 11-9.
Satcher was 4-for-5 with an RBI in the nightcap. Duffer picked up right where he left off from game one by going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Hunter and Stehlin both collected two hits. Keenan was 1-for-2 with three walks and four runs scored.
Concord returns to Mountain East Conference play 1:00 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Alderson Broaddus.
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