FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State baseball team dropped both ends of its Sunday doubleheader against Wheeling. The Bobcats fell by a final of 14-5 in game one, before dropping a wild game two by a score of 15-11 in extra innings.
Wheeling had the bats working in game one, scoring a run in all but one inning en route to the win. The Cardinals led 2-0 after an RBI single from Jack Skantze in the first inning and a run scoring on an error by junior Nick Benitez in the second.
FSU would take the lead in the bottom of the second on one swing of the bat. After a single and a walk to start the inning, senior Jared Mouton mashed a three-run home run to left field, giving the Bobcats a 3-2 advantage. However, the lead was short-lived, as Wheeling pushed three of their own across in the top of the third to regain the lead.
The Bobcats got one back in the bottom of third on a sacrifice fly from junior Andrew Smith to make the score 5-4. However, after a scoreless fourth, the Cardinals' bats proved to be too much, outscoring the Bobcats 9-1 over the final three innings en route to the victory.
Game two looked to be over early, as Wheeling scored in each of the first four innings. Four runs came across in the top of the first to give Wheeling base hits, and Chris Iazzetta followed with a three-run homer to left field in the second inning to open up a 7-0 lead.
After an RBI groundout in the third inning made it 8-0, Iazzetta did more damage in the fourth inning. The Wheeling designated hitter launched his second three-run homer of the game, making it an 11-0 game in the fourth inning.
Frostburg would mount a comeback, bringing home their first run of the game in the fourth after sophomore Hayden McLaughlin drew a bases loaded walk. Junior Mike Brown drove in a run of his own in the fifth, singling to left field to make it an 11-2 game.
The Bobcats drew closer in the sixth. After Benitez and McLaughlin reached base to start the inning, junior Jack Maruskin laced a two-run triple to the left-center field gap, scoring both runners to cut the lead to 11-4. First-year Chase O'Dell followed that up with a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home Maruskin to make it an 11-5 game. The inning seemed to be over after first-year Stafford Allison lifted a fly ball to right field, however Chardale Folks had the ball pop out of his glove. Folks committed another error on the next batter, as sophomore Worthy Hollister blooped one into right field that Folks couldn't come up with, allowing Allison to score to make it 11-6.
Frostburg would knot things up in the seventh inning, bringing five across the plate to force extra innings. FSU had the bases loaded with nobody out to start the inning after singles by first-year Gaige Reighard and Benitez, followed by a McLaughlin walk. After a strikeout, Maruskin drove in two with an RBI double to left making it an 11-8 game. O'Dell followed with a two-run single, bringing home Benitez and Reighard to make it a one-run game. With the tying run at first, senior Ryan Roell stepped up to pinch hit for Allison. Roell knocked the first pitch into left-center field for a double, bringing home O'Dell from first to tie the game.
The Bobcats had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Reighard was hit by a pitch with one out, moved up to second on a wild pitch, and eventually advanced to third on a ground ball. With the winning run 90-feet away, McLaughlin reached on a catcher's interference call, and sophomore Jake McNellis worked a walk. With the bases loaded, Maruskin flied out to center to end the threat.
Wheeling brought home four in the ninth inning to put the game away. The first run came home after a wild pitch from senior Josh Clegg, giving the Cardinals a 12-11 lead. A few pitches later, Jacob Murray clubbed a three-run homer to center field to give Wheeling a 15-11 lead. Andy Baez would finish things off with a scoreless frame in the bottom of the ninth to earn his team the win.
The Bobcats return to action on Saturday as they head to West Liberty to begin a four-game series with the Hilltoppers. For more information, visit frostburgsports.com.
