CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team saw its season end as it was eliminated from the Mountain East Conference Tournament, losing to Charleston 21-11, at GoMart Ballpark.
In a game that nearly broke the tournament record for runs scored—the record is 33 combined from Fairmont State and UVa.-Wise in 2019—both offenses got started early.
After UC (42-10) plated six runs in the bottom of the first, the Mountain Lions (29-21) had an immediate response with six tallies in the top of the second. The first five batters of the frame reached as junior infielder
Michael Dupont flared a single into right field to open the scoring for CU. Senior catcher
Hunter Steel followed with a two-RBI double down the left field line that saw junior infielders
Daniel Layne and
Zack Saryeldin touch home.
After a sacrifice fly, the fifth run of the second was produced on an RBI single from graduate outfielder
Josh Adkins, and Adkins tied the game as he scored on a bulk.
Charleston scored twice in the top of the third to regain an 8-6 edge. CU had an answer in the bottom half of the frame. A single from Layne and a double from Saryeldin allowed Layne to score two batters later on a Charleston error.
However, the 8-7 deficit was as close as Concord would get. The Golden Eagles went up 9-7 in the bottom of the third, and tallied ten runs in the fourth.
Adkins and Layne were two of the five CU hitters with multiple hit in the game as each went 3-for-4. Adkins drove in two runs and Layne scored three times. Sophomore infielder
Brendan Brady, Keenan and Saryeldin all had two hits. Sophomore utility
MJ Hunter tallied three RBI.
Keenan (1-3) was the pitcher of record as he tossed three innings of relief and struck out three.
Sunday evening was the final games in the careers of Adkins, Keenan and Steel
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