Nicholson's No-Hitter Propels Concord to Doubleheader Sweep at Salem, 12-5, 4-0

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team ended its regular season road slate with a 12-5 win in game one, followed by a no-hitter from freshman pitcher Mahailey Nicholson in game two to win 4-0 as it swept non-conference opponent Salem Saturday afternoon.
 
After the games, CU improves to 22-23 overall while Salem falls to 21-24.
 
Game One: Concord 12 – Salem 5
The Mountain Lions piled on runs in the first five innings of game one to secure the win.
 
Junior infielder Lacie Lewis wasted no time, homering in the game's first at-bat for her 11th home run of the season and giving CU a 1-0 lead. Senior infielder Courtney Raines was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat.Then with two outs, junior catcher/utility Kayla Sholter brought in Raines with an RBI single, doubling the Concord edge.
 
In the second, junior catcher/utility Morgan Gleason stood in scoring position after a one-out double. And she was able to score on an infield fly that resulted in an error.
 
The Maroon and Gray opened up the score in the third, as sophomore infielder Kendall Morgan and senior first baseman/outfielder Kassidy Garvey cracked back-to-back doubles to begin the frame taking the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Sholter and junior outfielder Alina Giles drove in runs in back-to-back plate appearances to swell the margin to six. Then, Sholter capped off the third by swiping home on a double steal to make the score 7-0.
 
In the fourth inning, Raines was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest and came around to score on a wild pitch. With one away, Hollis shot an RBI single into left field and Giles poked a ball through the middle to plate the tenth run of the game for Concord.
 
The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Mountain Lions grew the margin back to 10 in the fifth as Garvey and Hollis picked up RBIs.
 
Salem cut its deficit to 12-5 in the bottom half of the frame, but was held scoreless the rest of the way as Concord closed out the win.
 
Hollis (8-4) finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate with two walks drawn and two RBIs while also picking up the win in the circle. She tossed all seven innings allowing three earned runs while striking out six. Morgan and Sholter each had multiple hits as well with Sholter driving in a pair of runs.
 
Game Two: Concord 4 – Salem 0
Nicholson held the Tigers' lineup silent as she tossed the program's first no-hitter, allowing just three walks and hitting one batter in the contest.
 
Nicholson walked the first batter she faced, but responded by striking out three of the next six hitters to keep the game scoreless after two complete.
 
Freshman pitcher/outfielder Reghan Hintz drew a one-out walk in the third to become Concord's first baserunner of the second game. After Gleason reached on a Tigers' error, Lewis stepped up with an RBI single to break the scoreless tie and take a 1-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, Hollis and Sholter connected on back-to-back base hits to place runners on first and second with one out. Then, Giles snuck a ball through the left side to grab a 2-0 advantage. Hintz capped off the two-run fourth inning with a two-out double down the left field line to hold a 3-0 edge.
 
Following a walk to leadoff the fifth, Lewis came around to score on a wild pitch later in the frame and scored the Maroon and Gray's final run of the day.
 
Nicholson locked down the Salem lineup the rest of the way, working out of a pair of runners on base in the sixth and striking out the side 1-2-3 in the seventh to clinch Concord's first no-hitter in program history. She needed 93 pitches to complete her no-hitter which was also the second no-hitter in the Mountain East Conference this season.
 
The Newton, W.Va. native improved to 6-6 on the season after holding the Tigers to zero hits and issuing three walks and tying her career-best effort with eight strikeouts.
 
Additionally, Garvey went 2-for-3 with a triple and Hintz secured the only other extra-base knock for CU with her RBI double in the fourth.
 
The Mountain Lions wrap up their regular season with four home games starting with a doubleheader against West Virginia Wesleyan Friday at 1:00 p.m.