BUCKHANNON — In the third game of its weekend pair of doubleheaders, Concord University capitalized on late-inning offense to secure a 6–3 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan at Hank Ellis Field.
Concord got on the board first in the second inning when outfielder Demetri Jamison launched a solo home run to left field, giving the visitors a 1–0 edge. Wesleyan responded in the bottom of the third with a two-out RBI single from catcher Thatcher Poteat, scoring Grant Shumaker who had singled and advanced on a wild pitch.
The back-and-forth continued into the fourth, when Concord’s MJ Hunter doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a Ty Livingston RBI double. A fielding error extended the inning and allowed another run to score, giving the Mountain Lions a 3–1 advantage.
But Wesleyan wasn’t done yet. In the fifth, a key two-RBI double by first baseman Drew Jrolf tied the game at 3–3 after the Bobcats loaded the bases with nobody out. The rally prompted a pitching change, and Kerry Collins entered in relief to stop the bleeding for Concord.
After trading zeros in the sixth, Concord struck decisively in the seventh. Hunter logged his third hit of the day and advanced to third on a pinch-hit single by Tyson Burke. DJ Christian then delivered the game-winning blow — a two-out, two-run double to right-center — plating both runners to push the score to 6–3.
Christian, who finished 2-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice, and two RBIs, also stole third base to cap the frame. On the mound, Collins closed the door with a clean seventh, retiring the side in order to earn the win with three scoreless innings of relief.
In the nightcap, Wesleyan earned a hard-fought 1–0 victory behind a dominant complete-game performance from Eli Brogan and a timely hitting from Tilton.
Brogan was masterful on the mound, tossing a complete game shutout while scattering five hits and walking five. The right-hander struck out three and stranded 10 Concord baserunners, repeatedly working out of jams with poise. Brogan’s seven-inning gem featured 116 pitches, 10 flyouts, and five groundouts, earning him the win and putting an exclamation point on the Bobcats’ bounce-back effort.
On the other side, Concord starter Jake Robinson was equally efficient through five innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out two. He was tagged with the tough-luck loss after surrendering the game’s lone run in the third inning. Braylen Baker came on in relief and tossed a scoreless sixth.
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the third inning. After Luke Burner was hit by a pitch, Tilton laced a double into the outfield gap to score Burner from first, giving the Bobcats a 1–0 lead. Wesleyan threatened to add more after a Shumaker single, but Tilton was gunned down at the plate by Concord’s Christian, preserving the narrow deficit.
Concord had runners aboard in nearly every inning but could not capitalize. In the top of the first, they loaded the bases with two outs, but a lineout ended the frame. In the seventh, Christian led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice, only for Brogan to strike out Kaden Swaim and induce a fielder’s choice to end the game.
