CUMBERLAND, Md. – The Frostburg State baseball team was defeated by Penn State Altoona on Tuesday afternoon, 5-3 at Memorial Field at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in the neighboring town of Cumberland.
Sophomore Josh Clegg had the big stick for the Bobcats, going 2-for-3 with two singles and driving in all three runs for his team.
The Lions put two on the board in the top of the first inning, after a two-out rally was capped off with a two-RBI double off the bat of junior George Stiuso. PSA added a third run in the following inning as shortstop Hunter Breon drove a run-scoring single to left field to give the Lions a 3-0 early lead.
The Bobcats scored the game's next three runs as Clegg plated junior Devin Griffith and sophomore Bret Fogle with a single to center field in the third inning. He followed that at bat with another RBI single two innings later, this one to left field to score Fogle again, tying the game at three apiece.
Senior reliever Dan Ryczek came into the game to start the third inning for the Bobcats, and proceeded to throw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six Lions to keep the game tied, 3-3, going into the seventh inning.
PSA broke the tie in the top of the seventh, as junior Jordan McCall smacked his third hit of the day for the Lions, this one being a double to left field that scored Austin Anderson to give PSA a 4-3 lead.
The Lions added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to Stiuso, giving sophomore reliever Tyler Manger a two-run cushion to work with in the home half of the final frame.
Manger gave up a leadoff single to junior first baseman Ryan Roell, but managed to get outs against the next three Bobcat batters, sealing the Lions' 5-3 victory.
Junior starter Aaron Sharp earned the win for the Lions, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Senior Travis Brashear was tagged with the loss for the Bobcats while Manger earned his first save.
With the loss, the Bobcats fall to 10-4 on the season while PSA gets back to .500 with a 6-6 record.
FSU will play a three-game series on the road against Capital Athletic Conference foe Salisbury, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23. First pitch of the opening game is set to be thrown at 12:00 p.m. For up-to-date game information, including live stats, visit frostburgsports.com.