NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Frostburg rallied to send its CAC Tournament matchup against Mary Washington to extra innings, but the Eagles scored two runs in the top of the ninth to earn a 6-4 win, Friday afternoon.
The loss drops the Bobcats to 24-15 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 25-19 and will face Christopher Newport tomorrow morning in the CAC Title game at 10:00 am.
Frostburg needed two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. Trailing 4-2, senior Hannah Tavik knocked an infield single to the Mary Washington shortstop that plated junior Kristen Catlin that trimmed the deficit to 4-3. Frostburg knotted things at four when senior Sam Gatton scored moments later on a wild pitch.
Frostburg breezed through the top of the eighth and junior Brittney Platt singled to open the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Olivia Ford came on to pinch run and advanced to third on a pair of ground outs. However, she was stranded at third as the game headed for another extra inning.
In top of the ninth, Courtney Shea singled and eventually scored on a throwing error for a 5-4 lead. Hannah Bruns, who reached and advanced to second on the throwing error, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out for a 6-4 lead.
Gatton, the second batter of the ninth for the Bobcats, singled with one out, but couldn't advance as UMW registered the final two outs via strikeout and fly out for the win.
Frostburg scored first against the Eagles with two runs in the first inning. Tavik reached first base on a fielding error by the infield and Gatton scored to make it 1-0. Senior Emily Harvey grounded out to second that scored senior Jessica Dubbs for the second run.
The score remained in favor of the Bobcats until Mary Washington plated three runs in the sixth and another in the top of the seventh. An error allowed the first Eagle run to score and Kristen Lundquist doubled home two more for a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Bruns singled to center that scored Shea for a 4-2 advantage.
Senior Emily Zengel singled to lead off the seventh and Catlin drew a walk moving Zengel to second. Following a fielder's choice, Dubbs smacked an infield single that loaded the bases. Tavik then singled home a run and Gatton scored on a wild pitch to force extra innings.
Short suffered the loss in the circle for Frostburg as she tossed 8.1 innings and allowed just one earned run. She struckout five and scattered 11 hits.
Gatton finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs, while Platt and senior Emily Zengel each went 2-for-4. Tavik registered one hit and drove in two.
