SALEM, Va. – The Concord University softball team had its season ended at the Mountain East Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon at the Moyer Sports Complex.
The Mountain Lions did stave off elimination in the first game of the day with a 3-1 victory over Davis & Elkins, but was defeated 8-5 by Glenville State in the second elimination contest of the afternoon. CU finishes the season at 27-26—the first winning season for the program since 2019.
Game 1: Concord 3 – Davis & Elkins 1
Sophomore pitcher/outfielder
Reghan Hintz turned in an outstanding effort in the circle and provided some late offense with the bat to lift Concord to a win.
With the game tied at 1-1 entering the sixth inning, freshman catcher/infielder
Hannah Niten drew a one-out walk before senior outfielder
Alina Giles pushed a bunt up the third base line. And then, senior catcher
Kayla Sholter was hit for the second time in the game to load the bases.
Hintz stepped up as she poked a two-run single out to right field to score both Giles and Niten.
Hintz finished off her 10
th win of the season by retiring D&E (15-40) in order in the top of the seventh.
To start the game, the Concord right hander stranded a pair of runners in scoring position after the Senators collected a single and a double with one out.
The Mountain Lions backed up Hintz in the bottom of the first as sophomore
Kristy McCord pushed a single through the right side, scoring junior infielder
Kendall Morgan who had led off the game with a walk.
Beginning in the first inning, Hintz retired 12 of the next 14 batters she faced until Davis & Elkins singled to start the fifth, and eventually got its only run of the contest in the frame.
Hintz (10-14) scattered five hits and a run in her complete-game effort. She struck out five.
Giles, Hintz, McCord and Niten accounted for the Concord hits. Morgan drew two of CU's four walks.
The victory over D&E was Concord's first MEC Tournament win since 2019 as it snapped an eight-game losing streak in the postseason.
Game 2: Glenville State 8 – Concord 5
A 4-0 first-inning lead did not stand up for the Mountain Lions as they were eliminated from MEC Tournament.
The first-inning rally was sparked by back-to-back one-out errors by GSU (41-14) that loaded the bases.. Niten came through with an RBI single to center field to score the game's first run. The big blow of the inning was a bases-clearing double from Sholter.
Glenville State plated a run in the bottom of the first inning as the lead remained three until the top of the third. Sholter delivered once again with her fourth RBI of the contest on a two-out RBI single that brought in Niten.
However, the Pioneers closed the gap in the bottom of the inning before taking the lead, going up 6-5.
GSU also tacked on a run in each of its final two at-bats.
In her final game in the Maroon and Gray, Sholter was 3-for-4 with a career-best four RBI. Morgan also bagged three hits at the top of the order.
The decorated career of senior infielder
Lacie Lewis also wrapped as she notched her 47
th career double. She finishes her career top 10 in program history in hits, runs scored, home runs, RBI and doubles.
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Senior pitcher/infielder
Madison Hollis started in the circle for CU as she recorded the first seven outs. Hintz (10-15) was charged with the loss, going 3.2 innings. She allowed an earned run on four hits.
Thursday also capped the careers of Hollis,
Josi Ervin,
Morgan Gleason,
Mikayla Hose and
Alina Giles.
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