Concord Sweeps West Virginia State, 10-2, 1-0

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University softball team picked up a sweep of West Virginia State Sunday afternoon at the CU Softball Field, winning 10-2 and 1-0, in Mountain East Conference play.
 
Concord improves to 12-10 overall and evens its MEC record at 2-2. WVSU drops to 8-12 this season and 0-4 in the MEC.
 
Game 1: Concord 10 - WVSU 2
Concord tallied five runs in the top of the first and never looked back and it only needed five innings to dispatch the Yellow Jackets.
 
With two runners on in the first, sophomore utility Kristy McCord singled to left center field to score a pair. Another single from senior catcher Kayla Sholter brought home a third run in the rally. Junior pitcher kept the line moving as she sliced a ball down the left field line to put Concord up 5-0 after the first inning.
 
Things remained calm until the top of the third inning when West Virginia State got within 5-2, but sophomore pitcher/outfielder Reghan Hintz escaped a bases-loaded, no out jam to keep the three-run advantage.
 
And the CU bats got right back to work in the bottom of the third. A towering double from senior infielder Lacie Lewis scored a run, and senior pitcher/infielder Madison Hollis brought another across with a sacrifice fly. More clutch hitting saw freshman utility Hannah Niten double to score Lewis as CU extended its lead to 9-2.
 
Hintz continued to cruise in the circle, and in the bottom of the fifth, Lewis closed out the first game. With junior infielder Kendall Morgan tripling to lead off the inning, the Kearneysville, West Virginia native singled up the middle to earn the run-rule victory, 10-2.
 
Lewis finished with a three-hit game and reached base all four appearances. Lewis and McCord both tallied two RBI. Hollis was 2-for-2 with an RBI.
 
Hintz (3-6) secured the win, going three innings of scoreless relief.. She allowed just one hit and struck out two batters
 
Game 2: Concord 1 - WVSU 0
Game two quickly turned into a pitcher's dual between Hintz and WVU's Kaleigh Murphy.
 
Hintz started the game off with a punch out against one of the conference's best bats. She followed it up with a 1-2-3 second frame.
 
The righty hit the first batter of the third inning, just to follow it up three straight outs and capping it off with another strikeout.
 
It wasn't just Hintz in the circle but the defense behind her. In the fourth, there was a runner on first when McCord fielded a hard-hit grounder to start a 4-6-3 double play and wipe the bases clean.
 
Another great defensive gem came in the top half of the sixth inning to keep the game scoreless. With two outs, a Yellow Jacket batter launched a fly ball to deep right field where freshman Grace Dodson made a wonderful leaping grab.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Concord broke the deadlock. Morgan drew a leadoff walk and was advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Lewis. Hollis grounded it up the middle to the pitcher and Morgan dashed for home getting in under the tag to score the first and only run of the game.
 
Hintz worked a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for her second win of the afternoon.
 
Concord had just two hits in the contest, coming from senior outfielders Alina Giles and Morgan Gleason. Hollis finished with the lone RBI and Morgan scored the game's only run.
 
Hintz (4-6) capped off 10 innings through both games without giving up a single run. In game two, she went all seven innings, allowing three hits, walking just one and striking out five.
 
The Mountain Lions host Glenville State for an MEC doubleheader Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. at CU Softball Field.