THOMASVILLE, N.C. – Another day of near flawless February weather translated into another near flawless day of baseball for Frostburg State as it completed its opening weekend sweep of Old Westbury, 4-1 and 15-8.
Box Scores
Game 1
Game 2
Coming down from New York for its now annual February series with the Bobcats (4-0), Old Westbury (0-4) looked to bounce back from its two Saturday losses before heading back up north. The Panthers hopes were quickly dashed in game one by junior pitcher Ryan Redinger and his supporting cast.
In his first start as a Bobcat, Redinger pounded the strike zone early, striking out two in the first frame. The second inning left its only negative mark on Redinger's line after a two-out error turned costly for the Bobcats. From the third inning on, the Bobcat right-hander allowed just one runner on the base paths.
On the offensive side of the diamond, FSU got on the board in the bottom of the second when junior Zach Weiss smacked a double to left center scoring senior Rob Jennings. The score remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning when junior Kam Stewart hit a two-run double over the center fielder's head. Stewart later scored on a single up the middle from senior Kevin Kean.
Redinger went the distance in his debut, scattering just two hits over 7.0 innings while striking out seven.
Stewart led the way in game one with two RBI and Weiss chipped in with another RBI while finishing a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate.
The fourth and final game of the weekend series saw an offensive outburst as each team produced its highest run totals of the weekend.
Freshman pitcher Ryan Callahan got the nod in game two and looked to be unfazed in his collegiate debut as he retired the side in the top of the first.
The Frostburg State offense struck first in Sunday's second contest. Weiss led off the bottom half of the first with a single and would later score when Jennings took a bases loaded pitch in the hand. Junior Ricky Brady got his big day going with a long RBI single to right center. The Bobcats would have a 4-0 lead heading into the second inning.
Old Westbury retaliated with four runs of its own in the top half of the second inning. Tommy Ziegen hit a single up the middle, plating two Panthers to start the scoring. Jacob Coners and Nick Yip also got in on the action with RBI singles of their own.
The Bobcats pulled ahead once again in the bottom of the third. Senior Dylan Shupe hustled his way to third for a triple to lead off the inning. Shupe came home in the very next at-bat thanks to a single to left from Jennings. The first long ball of the season for the Bobcats came off the bat of Brady as he followed Jennings with a two-run bomb over the safety net in right field. Weiss capped the inning with a two-run single.
Brady continued his hot hitting in the bottom of the fourth with another two-run homer. The Bobcats would go on to put three runs on the board in both the fourth and fifth innings to extend the lead to
15-4.
The Panthers would threaten in each of the final two innings, scoring two runs in each segment, but it wouldn't be enough to prevent the Bobcats from completing the weekend sweep.
Sophomore pitcher Nick Huff picked up the win out of the bullpen, allowing no hits in his two innings of work.
Brady finished the game an impressive 4-for-4, including two home runs and six RBI. Jennings drove in three runs, while Weiss and fellow classmate Lane Farmer each drove in two. Shupe crossed the plate more than any other Bobcat in game two with three runs.
Ziegen led the way for Old Westbury, driving in three runs, and Christian Faust also contributed with two RBI of his own.
The Bobcat defense was outstanding all weekend, committing just three errors in its first fielding experience of 2014 outside of Bobcat Arena.
Frostburg State's impressive 4-0 start marks the first of its kind under seventh year head coach Guy Robertson.
The Frostburg State baseball team will look to continue its hot streak next weekend as it travels back down to North Carolina for the inaugural Bobcat Invitational in Fayetteville. The first game is scheduled for 2 pm on Friday against Pitt-Greensburg.
