ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball scored 25 runs in two games to take down Mountain East Conference opponent Wheeling in a doubleheader at the CU Softball Field Saturday afternoon.
After the games, CU improves to 15-20 and 10-8 in the MEC while Wheeling drops to 6-30 overall and 3-9 against MEC opponents.
Game One: Concord 12 – Wheeling 5
After WU scored the game's first two runs, the Mountain Lions plated three runs in each of the next three innings.
Junior pitcher/infielder
Madison Hollis led off the third inning with a single to left field and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Then, junior catcher/utility
Gianna Sloan-Lebron reached on an error with one out. With a pair of runners on, junior outfielder
Alina Giles gave CU the lead as she drilled a three-run home run over the left field wall for her second homer in as many days.
In the next inning, senior infielder
Courtney Raines and sophomore infielder
Kendall Morgan reached base to start the frame to bring senior first baseman/outfielder
Kassidy Garvey to the plate. Garvey answered the call with Concord's second three-run home run of the day as the Maroon and Gray took a 6-2 advantage into the fifth.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning before the CU bats answered once again.
Giles connected on a leadoff double and junior catcher/utility
Morgan Gleason followed up with a bunt single. With runners on second and third, junior infielder
Lacie Lewis scored Giles on a sacrifice fly to center field and made the score 7-4. Then, Morgan left the yard as she homered down the left field line as the Mountain Lions carried a 9-4 lead into the sixth.
Morgan's big game wasn't done, as she picked up another RBI base hit in the sixth followed by a two-RBI double from Garvey to seal a 12-5 game one victory.
Morgan led all hitters with three base hits while driving in three runs but it was Garvey that had a game-high five runs batted in. Garvey, Giles, and Gleason also had two hits each in the game. Hollis (5-3) picked up the win in the circle, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing four earned runs while freshman pitcher/utility
Reghan Hintz picked up a pair of strikeouts in 1.0 innings of relief.
Game Two: Concord 13 – Wheeling 5 (Five Innings)
After falling behind once again, Concord battled back from a 5-1 deficit to pick up a run-rule victory in game two.
Wheeling scored four runs in the third to grab a 5-1 lead heading to the bottom half of the frame.
Lewis opened up the inning with a solo home run, her team-leading ninth long ball of the season to trail by three, 5-2. Then, Raines, Morgan, and Hollis reached in three consecutive at-bats to load the bases with no outs.
With one out, freshman utility
Blake Jamerson grounded out, but picked up an RBI in the sequence. Sloan-Lebron brought home two runs on a double to the right-center gap to tie the game 5-5. And Giles logged Concord's third straight two-out hit when she singled up the middle to give the Maroon and Gray a 6-5 edge after the third.
The Mountain Lions plated a pair of runs on a Wheeling error to start the fourth to extend their lead to 8-5. Then, Jamerson and Sloan-Lebron each drove in another run to swell the margin to 10-5.
In the fifth, Morgan drove in CU's 11th run of the game on a ball shot through the right side. Then, a double steal brought Raines in to score and Hollis ended the game on an RBI single to right field, completing the doubleheader sweep, 13-5.
Morgan had another three-hit game to go along with one RBI and two runs scored. Garvey, Hollis, and Sloan-Lebron also had multiple hits in the game with Sloan-Lebron leading the way with three runs batted in. Hintz (2-4) picked up the win by not allowing an earned run and punching out two WU batters in 2.2 innings of relief.
Concord challenges Glenville State in a home doubleheader Wednesday starting at 2:00 p.m.
