SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Frostburg State baseball dropped both ends of its doubleheader on Sunday afternoon to Slippery Rock. The Bobcats fell in game one 8-5 and lost in extra innings in game two 13-12 after rallying late.
Game one saw consistent offense for both sides. With the exception of the sixth inning, at least one team scored in each inning.
The Rock struck first in game one, as an RBI single from Connor Hamilton made it a 1-0 game. Junior Andrew Smith would answer back in the top of the second, launching his second homer of the weekend over the center field wall to tie the score at 1-1. The tie would be short-lived, as an Abraham Mow double to left field plated two runners to give Slippery Rock a 3-1 advantage.
The Bobcats got back on the board in the top of the third, as junior Jack Maruskin tripled to right field to score first-year Justin Jimenez, which cut the deficit to one. A sacrifice fly in the bottom half for The Rock allowed them to answer back once again and take a 4-2 lead after three innings.
The Bobcats loaded the bases in the fourth inning but were unable to score. Senior Ryan Roell led off the inning with a single and would advance to third on a single by senior Mitch Fyffe. Jimenez drew a two-out walk to load the bases for junior Nick Benitez. Benitez rocketed the first pitch right to first baseman Colin Cain, who snared it to end the threat. Slippery Rock would add another run in the bottom half on an RBI double from Nick Reynosa to make it 5-2.
Senior Bret Fogle would begin the top half of the fifth with a single and work his way to third base before scoring on a wild pitch to bring the score to 5-3. Slippery Rock kept the bats working in the bottom half, as Mow homered with one out to give The Rock a 6-3 lead. Two more runs came across in the inning thanks to a two-run single from Alex Robenolt to make it an 8-3 lead for the home side.
After a scoreless sixth, the Bobcats were down to their final at-bat in the top of the seventh. First-year Stafford Allison tried to start a late rally with an RBI single that scored junior Bryce Jackson to make it an 8-4 game. Fyffe followed that up by hitting into a fielder's choice, allowing Smith to score. With the tying run on deck, Jimenez struck out swinging to end the game.
Jackson started the scoring in game two with a solo homer in the first inning to make it 1-0. Jon Kozarian would answer in the bottom half with a homer of his own, this one being a two-run shot to give The Rock a 2-1 lead. Kozarian would also add an RBI single in the second to make it a 3-1 game.
Four more runs crossed the plate in the fourth inning for Slippery Rock. A throwing error from first-year shortstop Danny Berckman plated the first run of the inning, followed by back-to-back run scoring doubles to inflate the Slippery Rock lead to 7-1. Three more runs came across for The Rock in the fifth on a two-run home run by Eddie Morris and an RBI single by Hamilton to make it 10-1.
The Bobcats would not go away quietly, as they put up seven runs in the sixth inning to cut the deficit down to two. Fyffe put the first runs of the inning on the board with a two-run double to left field. Three batters later, pinch-hitter Chase O'Dell reached on an error, scoring Fyffe to make the score 10-4. Maruskin followed with a single to left field to score sophomore Hayden McLaughlin. After a pitching change for The Rock, Jackson drove in a run with an RBI groundout, and sophomore Jake McNellis capped off the scoring in the inning with a two-run triple to cut the lead to 10-8.
Slippery Rock would bring another run across in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded walk, giving them an 11-8 lead entering the seventh inning.
Facing a three-run deficit, the bats stayed hot for the Bobcats. With two runners on, O'Dell singled to right field, scoring Jimenez to make it an 11-9 game. Maruskin stepped to the plate next and chopped one to third, beating out the throw for an infield single and driving home Berckman to make it a one-run game. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, O'Dell would come in to score on a passed ball to tie the game at 11-11. Maruskin would score in the same fashion a few batters later, scoring the go-ahead run on another passed ball to make it a 12-11 lead for Frostburg.
The Rock would tie things up in the bottom of the seventh inning, as a Robenolt single to center field knotted things up at 12-12 heading to extra innings. After the Bobcats were retired in order in the top of the eighth, Slippery Rock would walk it off in the bottom half of the inning on a double down the left field line from Mow.
Frostburg will open MEC play next weekend, as they travel to face West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon, W.Va. for a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. For more information, head to frostburgsports.com.
