ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team won a three-game series over Pitt-Johnstown by winning the series finale Monday, 15-4, at Anderson Field in non-conference play.
The teams had to first complete a suspended game from Sunday in which UPJ (1-2) won 15-10.
Game 1: Pitt-Johnstown 15 – Concord 10
The Mountain Cats scored the first 11 runs in the game as Concord (3-1) was unable to erase the deficit.
Down 11-0 in the third inning, the Mountain Lions plated six runs in the frame highlighted by a grand slam from senior infielder
Chris Satcher.
Pitt-Johnstown went back up 14-6 after 4.5 innings before CU staged another ally in the bottom of the fifth inning. Junior outfielder
Demetri Jamison singled in a run. Two batters later, freshman catcher
Marshall Basham recorded an RBI single with two outs, and freshman outfielder
Demario Faison followed with a run-scoring base hit to trim the margin to 14-9.
Play was suspended due to darkness after five innings Sunday night before resuming Monday afternoon.
An RBI double from Satcher in the bottom of the sixth cut the deficit to 14-10, but it was as close as Concord would get in the middle game of the series.
Satcher finished the game 2-for-4 with five RBI. At the bottom of the order, Basham was 2-for-4 while Faison had three hits in four at-bats. Senior infielder
Daniel Layne was 2-for-2 with three runs scored.
Junior pitcher
Connor Brizendine (0-1) was the pitcher of the record for CU as he allowed five runs in the first inning.
Game 2: Concord 15 – Pitt-Johnstown 4
Timely offense was pared with a strong outing from graduate pitcher
Eddie Blake on the mound as Concord secured a series win.
The first two runs of the game were scored by UPJ, but Concord took over in the fourth with seven unanswered runs.
Back-to-back run-scoring singles from sophomore utility
Dawson Gragg and Basham tied the game in the fourth inning. And the Mountain Lions plated two more runs in the fifth inning without a hit.
After two quick outs, Concord drew five consecutive walks with Gragg and Basham accounting for the RBI as CU took its first lead in the fifth, 4-2.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the sixth. A two-out walk issued to Layne was followed by a two-run home run by fifth-year senior infielder
Zack Saryeldin. Three batters later, Gragg brought in Satcher with a base hit to left field.
Pitt-Johnstown fought back to load the bases against Blake in the top of the seventh after scoring two runs, but freshman pitcher
Jake Robinson struck out the go-ahead run to keep Concord in the lead, 7-4.
An eight-run seventh inning put the game out of reach as Concord won by 11 runs. Among the highlights in the seventh was a two-run single by Saryeldin. Jamison had an RBI double in the rally.
With plenty of run support, Blake (1-0) tossed 6.2 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits. He struck out seven. Blake retired the side in order in four of his six full innings of work. Robinson recorded the final seven outs for his first career save.
Gragg and Saryeldin both had four RBI in the game. Gragg was a perfect 3-for-3. Satcher was on base five times (three walks, two hits). Basham went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
CU set a single-game program record with 15 walks to go with 13 hits.
The Mountain Lions open a three-game series versus Ashland 12:00 p.m. Friday.
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