ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team overcame two different multi-run deficits as it rallied past Bluefield State, 14-12, Sunday afternoon in the season-opening game at Anderson Field.
Holding a 9-7 lead after six innings, the Mountain Lions watched Bluefield State tie the game in the seventh before scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning to take its first lead since the second inning.
Now trailing 12-9, CU immediately loaded the bases with two singles and a walk in the bottom of the eighth. After a balk scored a run, Concord got another run close with an infield single by freshman outfielder
Demario Faison, scoring senior infielder
Zack Saryeldin. A wild pitch tied the game and moved two runners into scoring position.
Junior utility
MJ Hunter connected on a single into center field that brought in Faison and sophomore utility
Dawson Gragg, giving Concord a 14-12 edge.
BSU did get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but junior pitcher
Rylee Nicholas (1-0) kept the two-run lead intact.
Concord went down 5-1 through 1.5 innings as BSU scored four times in the first.
Aided by some defensive mistakes from the Big Blues, Concord exploded for seven runs in the second inning. An RBI single from Hunter and a run-scoring double by senior infielder
Daniel Layne got the Mountain Lions within 5-3. An error followed that allowed Concord to tie the game. A second error in the inning, this time with the bases loaded, scored three CU runs.
Layne had a second RBI in the game with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Faison, Hunter and Layne combined for nine of the 10 CU hits in the game as all three players had three hits. Senior infielder
Zack Saryeldin drew four walks in the game and scored twice.
During his three innings of work as the starting pitcher, graduate pitcher
Andrew Neff surpassed the Concord career strikeout record and now has 237 for his career.
Concord opens up a three-game series with Pitt-Johnstown Saturday at Anderson Field.
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