ATHENS, W.Va. — The Bobcats battled early in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader at Concord, but the Mountain Lions pulled away late to take both games from the Bobcats by scores of 8-4 and 14-4 at Anderson Field.
In game one, the Bobcats struck first in the top of the first when
Matthew Neach singled home
Grant Shumaker after a leadoff walk and an
Isaac Lough single. Wesleyan threatened again in the fourth, putting runners at second and third with one out, but Concord starter Kaden Varela-Payne escaped the inning and kept the Mountain Lions within striking distance.
Concord swung the momentum in the bottom of the third. After two walks, Dawson Gragg launched a three-run homer to right, and the Mountain Lions added another run later in the inning on a throwing error to move in front 4-1. Wesleyan answered in the fifth with a three-hit frame, as
Coleman Cross singled, Lough followed with a base hit, and
Matthew Neach drove in a run with a ground-rule double before
Alex Smith added an RBI fielder's choice to trim the deficit to 4-3. Smith then tied the game in the seventh with a solo home run to left.
The Bobcats were unable to push across a run in the eighth, and Concord capitalized in the bottom half. A walk and hit batter opened the inning, and after a sacrifice and an intentional walk loaded the situation, Maynard delivered the decisive blow with a grand slam to left-center for the 8-4 final. Wesleyan finished with nine hits in the opener, led by Lough's 3-for-4 afternoon.
Matthew Neach went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Smith homered and drove in two. On the mound, Andrew Napoleon provided an effective relief outing, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to keep Wesleyan in the game.
In the nightcap, Wesleyan again came out sharp.
Grant Shumaker doubled and scored on
Isaac Lough's sacrifice fly in the first, then Shumaker singled and came home in the third on
Matthew Neach's RBI single to give the Bobcats a 2-0 edge. Concord got on the board in the third on Dawson Gragg's RBI double, then surged ahead in the fourth when Austin Hear crushed a three-run homer to left-center for a 4-2 lead.
Wesleyan briefly cut it to 4-3 in the fifth when Shumaker belted a solo homer to left-center, but Concord broke the game open in the bottom half. The Mountain Lions scored seven runs in the inning, stringing together six hits and three walks. RBI knocks from Korbin Bostic, Dawson Maynard, Austin Hear, Dawson Gragg, and Lucas Cannon fueled the outburst and stretched the lead to 11-3. Concord added three more in the sixth, taking advantage of two Wesleyan errors to go in front 14-3.
Shumaker turned in one of Wesleyan's best offensive performances of the day in game two, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, a home run, and an RBI.
Matthew Neach added a hit and an RBI, Lough doubled and drove in a run, and
Coleman Cross singled home Wesleyan's final run in the seventh. Concord was paced by Hear, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs, while Gragg finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three doubles.
The Bobcats take on Concord again tomorrow for another doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m. in Athens.
