WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball team won their sixth game in a row in a doubleheader sweep of Wheeling on the road Friday afternoon, winning by scores of 9-8 and 13-2.
 
Game one started out with a bang, as freshman Danny Estrada took the second pitch of the game out for a home run, followed up two batters later with another bomb from junior Andrew Smith for a quick 2-0 lead.
 
From there, the Cardinals silenced the Bobcat offense for a few innings, tying the game in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs, then scoring twice in the second and again in the fifth for a 6-2 lead.
 
FSU came alive in the sixth, with back-to-back singles from junior Trevor Jones and Smith leading things off, as they moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt from junior Jack Maruskin, allowing senior Jack Lawrence to step up and slap a single to center field to score Jones.  Freshman Jacob Stretch grounded into an unusual play, with Lawrence being thrown out at second but interference at first meant Stretch was able to reach safely, all the while Smith was able to score from third and get Frostburg within 6-4.
 
Smith worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth on the mound, allowing FSU to work some last-inning magic in the seventh. Senior Nick Benitez came on as a pinch-hitter and reached on a single to third, with Estrada reaching on a walk immediately after. Jones also worked a one-out walk and was replaced on the basepath by junior Arrone Dutton. After a strikeout, the Bobcats were down to their last out with Maruskin at the plate, who drew a walk to score a run and get Frostburg within one. Lawrence tied the game with another walk, allowing Stretch to knock a clutch double into left field and clear the bases for a 9-6 lead.
 
WU didn't lie down, as they loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the seventh. Stretch moved onto the mound to attempt to close things out. He struck out the first batter he saw, but a single to right field gave the Cardinals a run to get within two. A wild pitch to the next batter made it a one run game with runners still at second and third, but the Bobcat closer locked in and struck out the final batter for the narrow 9-8 victory.
 
Stretch was the story of the game for FSU, going 2-3 at the plate with three RBI and a walk, while also earning his MEC-leading sixth save of the year. Smith also had a multi-hit game and was effective on the mound, throwing 1.2 innings of one-hit ball for his first win of the season.
 
The Bobcats struck early again in game two, as Jones was hit by a pitch with one out, then moved all the way to third on an error that allowed senior Bryce Jackson to reach first. Junior Ethan Kiple drove Jones in on a grounder in which Jackson reached second and Kiple was safe at first on the fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead.
 
Frostburg added on in the third, with senior Josh Netterville drawing a leadoff walk and stealing second, being driven in on an RBI double by Jackson. Kiple followed up with his own double to put runners at second and third. Benitez came up clutch again, knocking a base hit into left to drive in both runs and push the lead to 4-0.
 
The offense continued to purr in the fourth, with freshman Christian Shertzer and Netterville getting back-to-back one-out singles, as Jackson drove both in on a long double to right-center field. Kiple then got Jackson to third on a single, as he scored after an error for a 7-0 lead.  
 
Junior starter Max Proctor was stellar through the first three innings, holding the Cardinal offense scoreless while allowing just three hits, though Wheeling finally broke through in the fourth with a pair of runs. Proctor did well to work the third out of the inning, stranding a pair of runners to keep FSU with a healthy 7-2 lead.
 
The offense picked back up in the top of the sixth, as Jackson belted his league-leading fifteenth home run over the right field fence. Benitez and sophomore Chase O'Dell kept the inning going with back-to-back two-out singles, with O'Dell scoring on an RBI single from Lawrence for a 9-2 lead. Momentum continued into the seventh, as Netterville and Jackson both knocked in RBI singles, with Benitez capping the scoring with a two-RBI single for the final 13-2 scoreline.
 
Benitez and Jackson were the leaders on offense, combining for seven hits and a whopping nine RBI, with Jackson also crossing the plate four times. Netterville, Kiple, and Lawrence all had a multi-hit game with an RBI apiece.
 
Proctor was brilliant on the mound, going six innings of five-hit ball with six strikeouts, as his two runs allowed were both unearned. Freshman Cale Huyer threw a clean seventh inning, allowing just a hit while striking out two for his fifth scoreless outing of the year.
 
With the sweep, Frostburg improves to 25-7 on the year, while Wheeling falls to 12-22. The 25 wins are the most wins in a season since the 2016 team won 30 games. Both teams face off against one another tomorrow, April 16 for another doubleheader, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. For information and updates stay tuned at frostburgsports.com.