ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team finished off a four-game sweep of West Virginia Wesleyan as it picked up 8-1 and 11-6 wins Sunday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at Anderson Field.
The Mountain Lions run their win streak to 11 games as they improve to 21-12 overall and 12-6 in the MEC. WVWC falls to 10-22 overall and 5-13 in the league.
Game 1: Concord 8 – West Virginia Wesleyan 1
Concord's offense backed up a dazzling pitching performance by junior
Rylee Nicholas.
A fielder's choice pushed junior utility
MJ Hunter across the plate in the bottom of the first to give Concord an early edge. However, WVWC responded with a run-scoring single two innings later to even the game.
Starting in the fourth, Nicholas faced just one over the minimum as he used a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play in the fourth and got a double play in the seventh inning. Nicholas improved to 5-1 on the mound as he collected a season-high nine strikeouts. He scattered five hits and walked one, the second batter of the game. Nicholas needed just 89 pitches to twirl his third complete game of the year.
With the bases loaded in the third, a sacrifice fly by fifth-year senior infielder
Zack Saryeldin gave Concord a lead it would not give back. The very next pitch after the sacrifice fly turned into a three-run home run by senior infielder
Chris Satcher, his 10
th of the season.
Concord padded the lead with an RBI double by junior outfielder
Demetri Jamison in the sixth inning, and Saryeldin followed with a two-run single into left field.
Saryeldin and Satcher combined for six RBI. Satcher was 2-for-4 while graduate infielder
Daniel Layne paced the offense by going 4-for-4, all singles.
Game 2: Concord 11 – West Virginia Wesleyan 6
CU had to fend off multiple rallies by West Virginia Wesleyan to complete the four-game sweep.
Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the second, the Mountain Lions scored three runs in the frame to go up a pair of runs. Fifth-year senior infielder
Michael Dupont and sophomore utility
Dawson Gragg both singled early in the rally. And both scored on a base knock by junior infielder
Brendan Brady.
Freshman pitcher
Jake Robinson kept the game within reach in the top of the second. After giving up a run-scoring double and loading the bases, Robinson got three straight outs to keep the deficit at one run.
Up 4-2 in the third, Saryeldin hit his first of two home runs in the game as he doubled the Concord lead on a two-run homer.
Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the four-run deficit and climbed to within 6-5 after a solo home run with one out in the top of the fifth. However, Hunter came out of the bullpen and shut the Bobcats down.
Concord restored a three-run edge in the bottom of the fifth as Satcher lined a solo home run over the center field fence. Later in the frame, Gragg singled home freshman outfielder
Demario Faison.
And in the sixth inning, Saryeldin blasted his 10
th home run of the season, a three-run shot, to left center field as the Concord lead swelled to 11-5.
Saryeldin finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI. Brady and Gragg were both 2-for-3 at the bottom of the order. Hunter reached bases three times and scored twice. Jamison added his team-best 13
th double of the season while going 2-for-3.
Robinson (3-2) worked four innings as he allowed four earned runs while striking out five. Hunter picked up his fifth save of the season by tossing the final 2.2 innings, striking out three and giving up a late run.
CU steps out of MEC play for a midweek contest at UVa.-Wise 3:00 p.m. Tuesday.
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