Concord Cruises By UVa.-Wise, 12-3

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team pulled away from UVa.-Wise with an eight-run fifth inning as it collected a 12-3 win Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference game at Anderson Field.

With the game tied at 3-3 entering the bottom of the fifth, CU bagged seven hits in the frame.

Senior infielder Daniel Layne started the frame with a single up the middle. Three batters later, senior infielder Chris Satcher and Layne were in scoring position for freshman outfielder Demario Faison. He pushed a single to the right side to bring in Layne. It was the start of three straight run-scoring hits.

Up 6-3, fifth-year senior infielder Zack Saryeldin drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run. Layne followed with a ground-rule double to right center field. And Satcher came up with his own two RBI with a single into left field to score Layne and Saryeldin.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning without a hit. UVa.-Wise manufactured a run with an error on Concord. And the Mountain Lions loaded the bases (two hit batsmen and a walk) in the bottom half and scored on an RBI groundout.

CU scored twice in the third inning as junior utility MJ Hunter led off the frame with his first home run of the season Later, junior outfielder Demetri Jamison drew a two-out base-loaded walk.

UVa.-Wise came back with a two-run top of the fifth to knot the game for the second time.

The only other run scored in the game came courtesy of a leadoff home run from fifth-year senior infielder Michael Dupont in the bottom of the eighth.

Five different Concord pitchers combined to hold the Cavaliers to seven hits while tallying eight strikeouts. Junior pitcher Connor Brizendine (1-2) was the pitcher of record as he tossed the fifth and sixth innings, notching three strikeouts.

Faison and Layne both had two hits for the Maroon and Gray. Layne was on base four times. Jamison, Layne and Satcher had two RBI apiece.

CU is off from game action until March 12 when it travels to Emory & Henry for the final non-conference tilt before Mountain East Conference play begins.