FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Softball team hosted the Alderson Broaddus Battlers for a home doubleheader on Monday afternoon, splitting the series by winning game one 7-0 and losing game two 6-4.
In game one, freshman Jamie Roberts would be on the mound for Frostburg and was stellar throughout, getting some support early on as the Bobcat offense scored a few runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman Laura Gilford would lead off, reaching base after being hit by a pitch and going on to steal second. Freshman Jayla Hill knocked in a single, advancing Gilford to third. A pair of stolen bases by the Bobcats resulted in Gilford crossing the plate and Hill advancing to third. Senior Brianna Powell would earn an RBI, driving Hill across the plate on a single to second. Powell proceeded to steal second and would be driven across the plate by Roberts on a single. Freshman Ryann Darling drove in Roberts on a sacrifice fly to right field, ending the inning with a 4-0 lead.
Roberts continued to dominate, throwing a perfect first three innings as the Bobcats added to their lead in the bottom of the third. Hill got the bats going with a shot to left field resulting in a double. Powell would once again reach base, this time after being hit by a pitch. Roberts grounded out to the pitcher, advancing Powell to second and Hill to third. Darling would single, advancing to third and driving in both Powell and Hill for Frostburg to make it a 6-0 lead.
AB finally got a baserunner in the top of the fourth off an error, but the offense was short-lived as Roberts got the next two batters out to keep the Battlers off the scoreboard. Frostburg would open the bottom of the fifth with Powell earning a walk and proceeding to steal second, then Roberts doubled, earning the RBI by driving Powell across the plate to end the inning in the lead 7-0.
The Battlers went scoreless the rest of the way, but managed to ruin Roberts' no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh on an infield single. The freshman had a spectacular performance on the mound, however, grabbing the complete-game win while striking out nine and allowing zero walks on the day, with just two hitters reaching base. Roberts also got it done at the plate, going 2-3 with two RBI, which tied the team lead with Darling.
In game two, sophomore Sydney Theobald took the circle for the Bobcats and started off with a scoreless first inning. Frostburg would once again jump on the Battlers early, as Gilford would open the game reaching on a bunt and then advancing to second on a steal. Sophomore Katie Ernst would reach base after earning a walk, then Hill reached on a fielder's choice that would result in Ernst advancing to second, though Gilford was thrown out at third. Powell would also reach on a fielder's choice, resulting in Hill advancing to second and Ernst out at third base, as a single from Roberts finally drove in a run, scoring Hill and moving Powell over to third. Senior Ava Gnibus added two runs for Frostburg with a two-RBI single to end the inning with a 3-0 Bobcat lead.
Alderson Broaddus would earn a run back in the top of the second, bringing the score to 3-1 Frostburg, as the game became a pitcher's duel until the top of the fifth, when AB scraped another run across to cut the lead to 3-2. FSU got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, as freshman pinch-hitter Samara Funk reached on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, being brought home on an RBI single from sophomore Sierra Sanderson for a 4-2 lead.
The Battlers refused to go down without a fight, tying the game in the seventh after a two-run homerun, as the Bobcats would fail to score in the bottom of the seventh, taking the game to extra innings to decide a winner. AB kept their momentum going with Sanderson taking the circle, adding two more runs in the top of the eighth for their first lead of the day at 6-4. Frostburg failed to make a late comeback, resulting in the close loss and series split.
Gnibus had a solid game at the plate, reaching base three times on two walks and a hit, while driving in two runs. Theobald pitched seven innings for the Bobcats, allowing five hits and striking out three Battlers.
Monday afternoons split, lands the Bobcats at 17-10 on the season. Frostburg will be back in action on Tuesday, April 12 as they host Notre Dame (Ohio) for a double header with games set to start at 12 and 2 PM. For more news on the Bobcats visit https://frostburgsports.com
