Concord Cruises to a Sunday Sweep of IUP 6-5, 25-13 - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

The Concord University baseball team closed out its weekend by taking two games from Indiana (Pa.) Sunday at Anderson Field, 6-5 and 25-13. Concord's 25-run outburst in game two was the most runs scored by the Mountain Lions since the 2007 season.

The doubleheader sweep gave Concord the 3-1 series victory over Indiana (Pa.) and evened CU's record this season to 5-5.

Indiana (Pa.) (1-3) posted runs in the second and third inning of game to take a 2-0 lead in game one, but Concord tallied a six-run fourth inning to take control of the contest.

The rally started with an RBI-single from Joey Miller and continued with five consecutive CU batters reaching base. Miller scored off of an IUP error, Ryan Johnston from a wild pitch while two more runs came across home plate after Jacob Mays was hit by a pitch and Groves was walked with the bases loaded.

Concord's big inning concluded with a sacrifice fly by Joe Camp that scored Mays to make it a 6-2 ballgame.

The Mountain Lions' lead was threatened in the sixth inning when IUP scored three runs off of two home runs to cut Concord's lead to just one run.

However, Concord relief pitchers Chris Baker and Will Zuspan were able to maintain the one-run advantage and give CU the 6-5 win in seven innings. Zuspan earned his first save of the season after coming on in relief of Baker in the seventh inning with two runners on and two outs to force David McNeil to hit into a fielder's choice for the final out.

Concord starting pitcher Tyler Coyle (1-0) went 5.2 innings, striking out three batters and allowing four runs for his first victory of the season. Coyle had a solid outing. He pitched out of bases loaded jams in the second and third inning with minimal damage and regrouped to record two outs in the sixth after surrendering a leadoff home run before leaving the game after allowing a single.

Miller and freshman Andrew Seigel had CU's hits in game one. Mays, who walked three times, Groves, Camp and Miller all registered one RBI, respectively.

Concord controlled the second game, which took over three hours and 40 minutes to complete, from start to finish. The Maroon and Gray scored at least two runs in seven out of eight innings in its best offensive performance in five seasons.

The Mountain Lions recorded 13 unanswered runs in the first four innings before Indiana was able to get to CU starter Tyler Zimm (1-0) in the fifth inning for two runs. Zimm had a strong showing, allowing only four hits and the two late runs in five innings.

Eight Concord players had multi-hit games with Camp leading the way with a 5-for-6 performance with four runs scored. Mays (3-for-6), Bret Blevins (3-for-5) and Charlie Goss (3-for-5) all had three-hit games. Goss scored five runs and drove in two more; Mays had three RBI as did Blevins, whose three hits were all doubles.

Jerrod Groves was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk before being pinch hit for in the fifth inning and Holt Cassada also collected two hits and a team-best four RBI.

Johnston and Miller also had multi-RBI games to finish off the weekend.

Pitchers Kevin Mack, Chris Kelly, James Patton and Austin Southcott finished out the contest on the mound for Concord with one inning pitched each.

In the two games combined, Concord drew 15 walks as well as reaching base after being hit by seven Indiana pitches.

Mays now has an on-base percentage of .481 this season from the top of Concord's batting order thanks in large part to eight walks and nine HBP's.

Miller, who is on a four-game hitting streak, closes out the weekend as Concord's season-leader in RBI with 17. Blevins is batting a team-best .447 on the year with three stolen bases.

Concord returns to action for a three-game series against Shippensburg University Saturday March 2-3. All three games will be played at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley W. Va. CU and the Raiders will play a doubleheader Saturday and one game Sunday.