ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team lost twice to Ashland Sunday afternoon, 6-5 and 9-4, in the completion of a three-game series at Anderson Field.
Concord is now 4-5 this season while Ashland starts 3-0.
Game 1: Ashland 6 – Concord 5 (Seven Innings)
CU rallied twice to tie the game, but was unable to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh as they plated the decisive run in the game.
Down 1-0 in the fourth, Concord leaned on graduate outfielder
Josh Adkins to bring in junior outfielder
D.J. Christian on a line drive to center field.
The Eagles responded with four runs in the fifth inning to jump out to a 5-1 edge. However, the Mountain Lions had an answer with a four-run rally of their own in the sixth. Back-to-back doubles from sophomore infielder
Brendan Brady and Adkins kickstarted the rally before junior infielder
Daniel Layne homered to right field, scoring Adkins—his first career long ball—to reduce the deficit to 5-4. Now with two outs in the inning, junior infielder
Zack Saryeldin drove his first home run of the season down the left field line to tie the game.
A lead off single from Ashland in the seventh came around to score with two outs.
The Mountain Lions were unable to get a runner aboard in the seventh to bring the potential winning run to the plate.
Adkins and Layne both had two hits and two RBI.
Senior pitcher
Andrew Neff (2-1) tossed a complete game as he allowed five earned runs and struck out six.
Game 2: Ashland 9 – Concord 4 (Nine Innings)
All 13 runs in the game were scored from the sixth inning and later.
The Eagles scored two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to lead 5-1 after 6.5 innings. CU had a response in the seventh, piecing together a two-out rally. A single by sophomore pitcher/infielder
MJ Hunter and a walk to Christian loaded the bases. Brady reached on a strikeout wild pitch to score Saryeldin who had drawn his own walk with one out. Adkins followed by rolling a single through the right side to score Christian and Hunter.
But, AU was able to get out of the jam and preserve a 5-4 lead.
Ashland scored two more runs in the eighth and tacked on three in the ninth.
Junior pitcher
Eddie Blake and Ashland's Josh Meyer kept the offenses quiet through five innings as the game featured just seven total base runners through the first five innings.
Blake (1-2) was the pitcher of record for Concord as tossed 6.2 innings, allowing five runs and striking out six.
Adkins paced the CU offense with three hits and two RBI. Saryeldin added two hits and a run scored.
The Mountain Lions host Emory & Henry 1:00 p.m. Wednesday.
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