THE LONG & THE SHORT OF IT

LADY LIONS WIN IN EXTRA TIME AND (PRACTICALLY) NO TIME

• Share:

The Concord Softball team's turnaround 2010 season took two more steps forward Thursday night, one lengthy and dramatic, the other quick and efficient.

The Lady Lions need ten innings and nearly three hours to subdue visiting Salem International in the first game of their doubleheader, but only five innings to complete the sweep on CU's home field in Athens.

The 10-9 and 9-1 victories improved Concord's record to 13-10, after a 1-32 showing last year. The Lady Lions have won eight of their last nine games and evened their WVIAC record at 3-3. 

GAME ONE

A three-run home run by Brooke Bowling in the bottom of the 3rd – her team-high fourth of the season – helped push Concord to a 4-0 lead after four innings.

Salem International erupted for seven runs in the top of the 5th, keyed by a two-run double by Lindsey Twigg and a three-run home run to right field by Kim Proper.

The Lady Lions scored once in the 5th to pull within 7-5. In the bottom of the 7th, down to their last two outs, Concord came back.

Kristen McClure singled and Bowling drew a walk. Two wild pitches would bring in McClure and move Bowling to third, and Stephanie Harper's double tied the score. Harper went to third on a wild pitch – one of five from SIU's pitchers – and nearly scored on Kate Billingslea's sharp ground ball to second. But Tigers' 2B Kass Nutter threw out Harper on a close play at the plate and the contest went into extra innings.

With the contest still even at 7-7 after nine innings, tie-breaker rules had to be employed – after nine innings, each subsequent half-inning will start with a runner automatically at second base.

In the top of the 10th, Proper struck again, with a two run-double that put SIU ahead 9-7 with nobody out. But Concord reliever Alex Brown retired Jess Stymus, Brittany Harrison and Kasey Marple to end the inning and keep CU close.

In the bottom of the 10th, Tamara Smith clouted a two-run double tie the score at 9-9 with nobody out. Marple would get the next two Lady Lions hitters, but Becca Gleason lined a shot to left center, scoring Mariel Wilson with the dramatic winning run. 

GAME TWO

… had much less uncertainty and took much less time.

Samantha Clement led off the bottom of the 1st with a moonshot that cleared the 25-foot high hurricane fence in left center, and before the frame was through Mariel Wilson and Tamara Smith had each hit RBI singles and Kaylyn Klatt drew a bases-loaded walk for a 4-0 lead.

An RBI single by Des Griffin got Salem International within 4-1 in the top of the 3rd, but the Lady Lions tallied twice in the bottom of the inning, including an RBI double by Billingslea, and led 6-1.

Billingslea added an RBI grounder in the 4th while the Lady Lions were extending their lead to 8-1.

In the 5th, singles by Clement, Gleason and Bowling pushed the advantage to 9-1, ending the game on the eight-run mercy rule.

Bowling went 3-4, with a double, a run, and the game-ending RBI. Clement finished 2-3, with a home run and two runs scored. Gleason was 2-3 with a run scored.

In the circle, McClure (picutred above) allowed four hits and one earned run in five innings, walking one and striking out two while dropping her ERA from 5.79 to 3.92. 

Thursday's sweep, happy as it was, was just the start of a very busy weekend for the Lady Lions.

The Lady Lions trek to the Northern Panhandle for four games this weekend.   Concord visits Wheeling Jesuit for a 3:00 pm EDT doubleheader on Friday, April 2nd. The next day, the Lady Lions go to West Liberty for a 1:00 pm EDT twinbill.

Concord returns home to host Kentucky State in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 6th.

Print Friendly Version