ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team split a doubleheader with Glenville State, losing game one 14-5 before taking game two, 5-0, Monday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at Anderson Field.
The win secures an MEC Tournament berth for the Mountain Lions (31-17-1, 20-12 MEC). Glenville State (31-15, 19-13 MEC) also makes the conference postseason.
Game 1: Glenville State 14 – Concord 5
GSU used big fourth and fifth innings to pull away from Concord in the opener.
Already out to a 3-0 lead after three innings, the Pioneers scored six runs in the fourth and added five more in the fifth to lead 14-1.
CU rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore catcher/infielder
Chris Satcher led off the frame with his 10
th home run of the season. Later in the inning, fifth-year senior outfielder
Brandon Bayne dropped a single into left field to bring in a run. Freshman infielder/pitcher
MJ Hunter followed with a run-scoring hit.
Hunter had two hits at the top of the lineup. Satcher scored twice and was on base a total of three times.
Freshman pitcher
Justin Carden (3-1) was the pitcher of record as he allowed four runs over three innings and struck out three.
Game 2: Concord 5 – Glenville State 0
The Mountain Lions used some timely hitting and a strong start by fifth-year senior
Dan Nicholls to clinch a series split.
CU scored twice in the opening frame, needing just one hit to get on the board. A perfectly executed hit-and-run put runners on the corners with no outs to open the bottom of the first. Hunter scored on a groundout while fifth-year senior infielder
Anthony Stehlin stole third before scoring on a fielder's choice.
It wasn't until the fourth that the Maroon and Gray got on the board again. Three straight one-out singles loaded the bases for Hunter. The Christiansburg, Virginia native scored junior outfielder
Josh Adkins on a sacrifice fly.
The three-run cushion was more than enough for Nicholls who did not give up a hit until the third and faced just three over the minimum in the first five innings. The Jacksonville, Florida native improved to 3-1 on the year as he scattered four hits and struck out seven while not walking a batter. He had at least one strikeout in each of the first four innings. The closest GSU came to solving the right-hander on his senior day was in the sixth. The Pioneers put runners on the corners with two outs. However, Nicholls escaped with a groundout to third base.
Nicholls needed just 82 pitches to navigate six innings on the mound. Sophomore pitcher
Nick Herrerias pitched a perfect seventh to lock down Concord's second shutout of the year.
Dupont added an RBI single in the fifth, and sophomore outfielder
D.J. Christian scampered home on a Glenville State error in the sixth.
Six different players accounted for the six hits. Keenan had a hit and an RBI as did Dupont.
The Mountain Lions open MEC Tournament play Thursday at Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Virginia. Full information on opponent and time will be released Tuesday.
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