WINFIELD, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team went 1-1 against California (Pa.) in a non-conference doubleheader at Winfield High School Sunday.
Concord is 1-4 while Cal U is 1-1 after its first games of the season.
Game 1: Concord 4 – California (Pa.) 1
Concord saved all its offense for the last at-bat of the game as junior infielder
Lacie Lewis' three-run home run was the difference in the game.
Cal U scratched across a run in the third inning, but sophomore pitcher
Josi Ervin controlled the Vulcans the rest of the way. She was able to retire 13 straight batters until a two-out single in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Concord offense broke through for Ervin.
Junior catcher/utility
Gianna Sloan-Lebron led off the inning with a walk before Ervin's bunt single pushed the tying run into scoring position. A sacrifice bunt was followed by freshman utility Blake Jameron reaching on a fielder's choice to load the bases.
Senior infielder
Courtney Raines was able to get Sloan-Lebron home with a sacrifice fly to center field while pushing Jamerson and Ervin up a base too. The next batter, Lewis, wasted no time as she crushed her second home run of the season out to center field to lift CU to the win.
Lewis was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the game. Hitting for herself in nine spot, Ervin finished with a pair of singles. Junior outfielder
Alina Giles added a double in the contest.
Ervin (1-1) tossed a complete game as she scattered seven hits (just one after the third inning) while allowing one earned run and striking out five. Additionally, she stranded eight runners.
Game 2: California (Pa.) 11 – Concord 9
The Mountain Lions were unable to hang onto a 9-5 lead as Cal U scored the game's final six runs.
After the Vulcans tallied four runs in the top of the first, Concord responded in the bottom of the first with five runs.
Three of the first four batters reached for the Mountain Lions in the frame with Lewis staying hot, notching an RBI single. Now within 4-3, Sloan-Lebron singled to bring in Giles and sophomore infielder
Kendall Morgan, giving Concord a 5-4 edge.
Lewis and Morgan were in the middle of the scoring in a three-run second. A walk to Ervin and a single by Raines two batters later was followed by a run-scoring single by Lewis. Later in the inning, Lewis and Raines touched home on a two-RBI base hit by Morgan.
CU added a run in the fourth as Lewis roped a double down the left field line to plate Raines.
Cal U cut the deficit to 9-6 in the fifth and scored five runs in the sixth to grab the lead back.
A pair of one-out walks to junior catcher/utility
Kayla Sholter and Sloan-Lebron pushed the game-tying run on base in the seventh, but Concord fell by two runs.
Lewis was a perfect 4-for-4 in the nightcap with two runs and three RBI. She finished the doubleheader 6-for-8 with a home run, a double and six RBI. Morgan tallied three RBI and Sloan-Lebron added two.
Raines was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Freshman pitcher/outfielder
Reghan Hintz (0-2) was charge with the loss as she gave up three runs in the sixth. Fellow freshman pitcher/utility
Mahailey Nicholson struck out five in her start.
CU is scheduled to host Belmont Abbey and Walsh at the CU Softball Field 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Friday.
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