ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept two games from Glenville State on Senior Day at Anderson Field, 6-1 and 5-2, Friday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action.
Concord improves to 26-18 overall and 16-12 in the MEC. Glenville State falls to 26-19 overall and 19-9 in the conference.
Game 1: Concord 6 – Glenville State 1
Graduate pitcher
Andrew Neff was locked in from the start as he dazzled in his final home start.
Glenville State got an unearned run off Neff and CU in the top of the first, but the Mountain Lions answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Junior utility
MJ Hunter doubled down the right field line, and two batters later junior outfielder
Demetri Jamison singled home Hunter to tie the game.
Neff stranded a one-out triple in the second, and got out of a two-on, one out situation in the top of the fourth with Concord nursing a 2-1 advantage. Because in the third, Hunter's one-out single and subsequent stolen base pushed him into scoring position to race home on a single from graduate infielder
Daniel Layne.
Fifth-year senior infielder
Michael Dupont launched his third home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the fourth to double the lead to 3-1. It was the start of a big inning for the Maroon and Gray.
CU loaded the bases before Hunter drew a bases-loaded walk, and during the next at-bat Layne brought in two runs with an opposite field single to left.
With the 6-1 lead to protect, Neff did not allow a runner past first base in his final three innings of work and retired Glenville State in order in the seventh on three pitches.
Neff improved to 7-4 on the season as he allowed one unearned run on seven hits while collecting four strikeouts. He needed 93 pitches to author his fourth complete game of the season.
Layne led the offensive attack by going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Dupont and Hunter also had two hits apiece with Hunter scoring twice. CU stole five bases in the contest with Hunter and Layne accounting for two each.
Game 2: Concord 5 – Glenville State 2
Graduate pitcher
Eddie Blake backed up Neff's performance with his own stellar outing in his final time on the mound at Anderson Field, and Concord's offense steadily pulled away from GSU.
The first three batters in the bottom of the second reached with senior infielder
Chris Satcher leading off the frame with a ground-rule double. With the bases loaded for junior infielder
Tyson Burke, he poked a single through the left side to bring in Satcher. Now with two outs in the inning, Hunter came up with the biggest hit in the inning as his single to right center field scored freshman catcher
Marshall Basham and Dupont, growing the lead to 3-0.
GSU answered with two runs in the top of the third, but Blake recorded the final two out in the frame to maintain the lead. It was the start of seven straight batters retired by Blake.
Concord responded to Glenville State's two-run third with two tallies in the bottom of the first frame. Jamison reached after getting hit and stealing second, and he would race in on Dupont's RBI single. A walk to Basham loaded the bases as Burke provided some insurance during the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly to score Satcher.
Glenville State got a runner aboard in the fifth inning, but Blake stranded a potential third run at second base. A double play helped the Moneta, Virginia native skate through the sixth by facing the minimum.
And in the seventh, Blake needed just seven pitches to lock down his sixth win of the season. Blake (6-4) allowed two runs on six hits while collecting five strikeouts. Blake's five strikeouts tied
Trent Abernathy for fourth on the all-time strikeout list at CU (223).
Seven different Mountain Lions accounted for hits in the nightcap. Burke and Hunter each had two RBI.
Concord travels to Glenville State 1:00 p.m. Sunday to close the season.
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