ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept a doubleheader from West Liberty, 8-0 and 11-7, Sunday afternoon in Mountain East Conference action at Anderson Field.
The Mountain Lions are now 16-11 overall and leads the MEC South Division with an 8-2 mark. West Liberty falls to 15-14 overall and 7-5 versus the conference.
Game 1: Concord 8 – West Liberty 0
CU needed one inning to do all of its offensive damage as three pitchers combined to shutout West Liberty.
With the game scoreless into the fifth inning, Concord's offense broke the game open with eight runs. A leadoff double from senior utility
MJ Hunter sparked the inning. Two batters later, graduate infielder
Ty Livingston shot a double into right center field that bounced over the fence and allowed Hunter to score.
Later in the inning, a bases-loaded balk brought in senior outfielder
Demetri Jamison. Now with two runners in scoring position, sophomore infielder
Nick DiSanti singled to score a pair of runs. Two batters later, junior catcher
Kaden Swaim had the biggest hit of the inning with a three-run home run, his ninth of the season, to take the lead to 7-0.
The eight-run rally was capped by a double steal as sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Demario Faison raced home.
Freshman pitcher
Broc Taylor faced the minimum through 11 batters as he got the help of a double play to end the third. The first hit against Taylor did not come until a two-out double in the fourth. Taylor (1-2) fired five innings as he surrendered one hit and faced just one over the minimum. He struck out five and needed just 48 pitches to record 15 outs.
Junior pitcher
Kerry Collins and freshman pitcher/outfielder
Braylen Baker pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to lock down the shutout.
Five of CU's seven hits in the game came during the eight-run fifth.
Swaim was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Livingston reached base twice.
Game 2: Concord 11 – West Liberty 7
For the second time in three games, Concord overcame an early, multi-run deficit.
West Liberty plated five runs in the top of the first, including a two-run double.
The Mountain Lions bounced back with two runs in the third inning, and overtook WLU in the fourth with six runs.
Junior catcher
Austin Hear led off the fourth with a double to center field before scoring on an RBI single by Hunter that turned into a second run after an error in the outfielder allowed Hunter to round the bases. With one out, N. DiSanti tied the game with an RBI single, plating Jamison. Then, junior infielder
Matthew DiSanti gave Concord its first lead with an RBI single during the next at-bat.
The rally continued with a sixth hit in the inning when Swaim lined a base hit into right center field to bring in M. DiSanti. Junior outfielder
Korbin Bostic finished off the six-run inning with a triple to bring around Swaim.
The Hilltoppers answered with a pair of runs in the fifth to get back within 8-7, but CU's offense went right back to work in the bottom half. RBI singles from Livingston and N. DiSanti restored a three-run lead, and Concord added a run on a fielder's choice in the sixth.
Collins came back in game two to retire eight of the nine batters he faced to earn a save for himself, and a win for Concord. Collins went 2.2 innings as he struck out three batters. Sophomore pitcher
Jake Robinson (5-2) tossed 4.1 innings as he struck out three and gave up six earned runs.
N. DiSanti and Livingston were both 3-for-4 and combined for three RBI. Hunter was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk.
After going 2-for-4 with two RBI, Swaim finished the doubleheader 4-for-7 with five RBI. And on the weekend, Swaim was 10-for-14 with three home runs, two doubles and 11 RBI.
Concord steps out of MEC play as it welcomes UVa.-Wise for a midweek contest 2:00 p.m. Wednesday.
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