CU Softball Slams Fayetteville State, 12-8 - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

The Concord University softball team wrapped up its time at the UNCP Invitational Sunday afternoon by defeating Fayetteville State University, 12-8. The victory marked Concord's third win over FSU this season.

Concord has boosted its record to 4-5 on the year with the win. The Broncos fell to 0-5 with the loss.

Sophomore Hayley Wade drove in a game-high three RBI and finished 2-for-4 with one run scored. Sophomore Jessica Seymour and senior Becca Gleason both had three hit games with Seymour scoring three runs and Gleason nearly matching Wade with two RBI of her own in addition to scoring twice and stealing one base.

Through nine games, Gleason and Seymour rank first in second for Concord in batting average with respective marks of .458 and .435.

The Mountain Lions also saw hits from senior Stephanie Harper (2-for-4), sophomore Karsyn Boothe (2-for-5), junior Rachael Mack (1-for-4), freshman Alyssa Morris (1-for-3), and sophomore Whitney Carrigan (1-for-4).

Carrigan and Boothe each recorded an RBI to help CU towards the win. Morris and Seymour had the games' only doubles.

Sophomore Lacey McDougall (3-2) earned the victory after coming on in relief to hold FSU to three runs in the game's final 2.2 innings. McDougall lowered her ERA to 3.92, its lowest of the season.

McDougall replaced Harper, who allowed five runs (two earned) and seven hits while striking out two batters in 4.1 innings. Harper gave up no runs and just two hits to the Broncos until a troublesome three-run fourth inning.

Concord came out swinging to make its presence known right away with eight unanswered runs over the first three innings. CU took advantage of two errors to score twice in the first inning followed by a Wade single that scored Seymour in the second and a five-run third inning that featured a two-run single from Wade.

Fayetteville State avoided the run rule and battled back to tie the game at 8-8 heading into the seventh inning after scoring eight straight runs of its own due in part to four Concord errors over the three inning stretch.

With the game tied Concord's offense, which had been shutout since the fourth inning, found itself down to its final out with runners on first and third. In clutch fashion, Carrigan and Boothe both came up with back-to-back RBI singles to give CU a 10-8 lead.

The Mountain Lions added two more insurance runs off of an error and another hit by Gleason to take a 12-8 advantage into the bottom of the inning.

FSU could not get a runner past second base against McDougall in the final inning and Concord hung on for the four-run victory.

McDougall and Gleason were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts over the weekend.

The Mountain Lions now head to Raleigh, N. C. next weekend for the Shaw University Softball Challenge. CU will be facing five teams starting with Virginia University of Lynchburg at 1:00 p.m. Friday.