ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team battled Ashland Monday afternoon in a non-conference contest at Anderson Field, but fell 12-4.
Ashland (3-0) plated seven runs in the top of the ninth as it pulled away from CU (3-4).
Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Concord tallied two runs to take a 4-3 lead. Back-to-back batters reached with one out as junior utility
MJ Hunter and sophomore utility
Dawson Gragg singled. After a fielder's choice put runners on the corners with two outs, senior infielder
Chris Satcher lined a hit off the AU pitcher to score Hunter, tying the game.
The next batter, fifth-year senior infielder
Zack Saryeldin, doubled to right field to get Layne in.
But, Ashland answered with two runs in the top of the eighth to go up 5-4.
The Mountain Lions were able to get the tying run on base in the eighth as a leadoff hit by pitch of fifth-year senior infielder
Michael Dupont gave Concord action on the bases. However, a double play quickly extinguished the rally.
AU stole back the momentum in the ninth with seven runs.
Concord took an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single from freshman outfielder
Demario Faison in the second inning though Ashland quickly responded with a three-run home run in the top of the third.
CU scratched across a second run in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly courtesy of senior infielder
Daniel Layne to bring in Hunter after his leadoff base hit.
Graduate pitcher
Eddie Blake (1-1) kept Ashland's offense in check for much of the day as he retired the side in order or faced the minimum in three of the first four innings, and got the Eagles in order again in the sixth.
Blake tossed 7.1 innings as he gave up five runs on eight hits. He struck out four.
Hunter, Gragg and Layne, CU's 1-3 hitters, were a combined 6-for-13 in the game with three runs scored. Saryeldin added a 3-for-4 showing with his RBI double included. Faison was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Mountain Lions travel to Cary, North Carolina this coming weekend with the first opponent being Mercyhurst 5:30 p.m. Friday.
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