FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Frostburg State baseball team let two conference games slip away in each of the final innings of play as the Eagles of Mary Washington defeated the Bobcats, 6-5 and 9-7.
Box Scores
Game 1
Game 2
Frostburg State (11-8, 1-4 CAC) was designated as the home team for its first two games at Dicksinson Stadium because the games were originally scheduled to be played in Frostburg, but the Bobcats were unable to seal the deal in the top half of the seventh of each game as Mary Washington (14-7, 5-0 CAC) seized the given opportunities.
In Game 1, Mary Washington jumped on top in its first at-bat thanks to a two-run homer by Jono Haught.
The Bobcats would respond quickly in the bottom half of the first. After the first two batters reached base and a fielder’s choice moved runners to first and third, junior Rob Jennings sent a towering ball over head of the Eagle center fielder for a two-RBI triple. Junior Dylan Shupe would bring home another run to give the Bobcats the early 3-2 advantage.
The second and third innings went by without a run or a hit from either side but the Eagles would get back on the board with a run in the fourth and eventually regain the lead with two in the fifth, giving them a 5-3 lead.
Frostburg State got a rally going in the bottom half of the fifth when senior J.K. Filauro singled up the middle to lead off the inning. After stealing second, junior Kevin Kean singled Filauro home to bring the deficit to one. Jennings would follow with a single through the right side and Shupe eventually tied the game up with an RBI single of his own. With runners on first and second and still no outs, the Bobcats could not capitalize as the Eagles were able to escape the inning without allowing any further damage.
Mary Washington would break the tie in the top of the seventh with an RBI double by Seth Jordan and the Bobcats would fail to retaliate in their final at-bat, giving the Eagles the first contest.
Jennings was the lone Bobcat with two hits in game one, while he and Shupe each had two RBI to pace the lineup.
For the Eagles, the No. 3 and 4 hitters of Jordan and Haught finished a combined 7-for-8 with five of the six RBI for the opposition.
In Game 2, Frostburg State found itself in a hole in the early going as the Eagles held a 5-1 lead after the fourth inning, thanks in part to a four-run third.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the fifth that the Frostburg finally saw some life in the bats. Senior captain Garrett Price got the inning going with a double to left field and senior Matt Donaldson followed in suit with a single of his own. Filauro got plunked again to load the bases when Kean singled through the left side to plate the first run of the inning. Another run was scored before the first out was recorded but the Bobcats kept it coming with a two-RBI double by Shupe. The game was now tied with two outs when Guy Robertson called on junior Austin Poretz for a big pinch hit and that’s exactly what he got as he stroked a ball over the center fielder’s head to give the Bobcats a 7-5 lead.
The fifth-inning rally was wasted though in the top of the seventh as the Eagles were able to score four runs and regain the lead with the help of two crucial Bobcat errors.
Frostburg State threatened in its final at-bat but the bases were left loaded when the game came to an end.
Jennings, Shupe, and Price each had two hits for the Bobcats and Shupe also contributed with a pair of RBI. Filauro got plunked an impressive four times on the day, twice in each contest.
Despite giving Frostburg State a valiant effort out of the pen, freshman Kyle McCormack took the undeserving loss in Game 2.
On the other side, Jake Black picked up both wins on the day, coming out of the bullpen for the Eagles.
The Frostburg State baseball team will look to bounce back and take the finale of the three-game series today at 1:00 pm at Dickinson Stadium. The Bobcats will be the away team for the final contest as originally scheduled.
