Concord Sweeps Doubleheader from Nationally-Ranked Millersville, Wins Series

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University baseball team swept a doubleheader from nationally-ranked Millersville Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field as it won the weekend series over the nationally-ranked Marauders.

Concord took the first game, 4-3, before leading wire-to-wire in a 12-8 nightcap victory. CU improves to 6-7 on the season while Millersville falls to 7-3.

Saturday ended an 11-game losing streak for CU against nationally-ranked teams. And it was the first time the Maroon and Gray won a three-game series versus a nationally-ranked foe.  

Game 1: Concord 4 – Millersville 3
Concord saved all its all offense for the final two innings as it scored a walk-off win.

Down 3-1 entering the seventh, senior infielder Tyson Burke led off with a pinch-hit single. With pinch runner and senior outfielder D.J. Christian Jr. at first, junior outfielder Dawson Gragg sent a triple to the right field wall allowing Christian to come around.

Two batters later, junior infielder Matthew DiSanti drove in Gragg to tie the game.

With the bases loaded and just one, junior catcher Austin Hear pushed a single through the left side to plate sophomore Nick DiSanti for the game-winning run.
Concord's first run came in the sixth inning as junior catcher Kaden Swaim led off the frame with a single and came around to score on a wild pitch to break up the shutout bid for the Marauders.

Millersville scored two runs in the first inning and added a third in the second. However, graduate pitcher Coby Ingle shut down the Marauders' offense as he retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced. Ingle did not factor in the decision, but went 5.2 innings as he allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out two.

Sophomore pitcher Jake Robinson (2-2) was the winner in relief as three of the four outs he recorded were strikeout.

Seven different batters had a hit for CU with Gragg going 2-for-3 with an RBI triple. Junior outfielder Korbin Bostic was on base three times with a single and two walks.

Game 2: Concord 12 – Millersville 8
Concord scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back on its way to a four-run win.

Hear got the Mountain Lions off to a fast start with a three-run home run, his first of the season, to center field.

Holding a 4-0 lead into the fourth, CU's bats exploded for six runs. N. DiSanti led off the frame with his first home run of the season, a shot out to left field. Later in the frame, senior outfielder Demetri Jamison's two-run RBI single was followed by a two-run double by senior utility MJ Hunter who came around to score on a triple infielder Ty Livingston. Gragg capped the rally with an RBI single.

Swaim crushed a solo home run in the fifth, and Hear did the same with an opposite field homer in the sixth inning.

Before Hear's second home run, Millersville made a charge with a five-run top of the sixth. However, junior pitcher Kerry Collins struck the game's tying run to keep the three-run lead.

Robinson tossed a scoreless seventh inning to secure the victory.                                             

Concord pounded out 15 hits on the afternoon with eight going for extra bases. Hear was 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. Livingston added a 3-for-4 game with an RBI. Jamison and Livingston were both 3-for-4 with an RBI. Both of Swaim's hits went for extra bases.

Graduate pitcher Zach Powell improved to 2-2 on the mound as he tossed 4.2 innings. He scattered five hits and allowed three runs while collecting two strikeouts.