FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Baseball team wrapped up their five-game home stand with a split against Glenville State on Sunday afternoon, with a 9-2 win followed by a narrow 8-6 loss.
 
Game one started out all Frostburg, as junior Ethan Kiple took the mound and was simply brilliant through the first 4.1 innings without allowing a baserunner, as he got some great run support from the Bobcat offense.
 
The scoring began in the second, as freshman Christian Shertzer knocked a one-out single to right, then was immediately brought home on an RBI triple from freshman Ben Wieman. Senior Josh Netterville followed with an RBI double to score Wieman for a quick 2-0 lead. Freshman Danny Estrada got Netterville to third on a groundout, bringing up the MEC leader in home runs, senior Bryce Jackson. The Pioneers didn't want to face Jackson's power, intentionally walking him, as he then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Junior Trevor Jones lined a two-RBI single to center field, then junior Andrew Smith capped the inning with a two-run bomb to left to cap the big inning with a 6-0 lead.
 
Frostburg's offense struck again in the fourth, with Estrada singling and stealing second, being brought in on a double from Smith. Smith then scored on another power swing, this one coming from the bat of senior Jack Lawrence for a 9-0 lead.
 
GSU finally got to Kiple in the top of the sixth, using three singles to get a run across and avoid the shutout, then put up another run in the top of the seventh off of junior reliever Josh Colliflower, but he recovered to shut down their offense with three straight outs with runners on base for the 9-2 win.
 
Kiple was the story of the game on the mound, throwing six innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out a season-high seven batters. Smith was perfect at the plate, going 3-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, with Jones and Lawrence both adding two RBI each.
 
Junior Jack Maruskin got the start on the mound in game two, as once more the teams got into a pitcher's duel at the start, with neither team finding any offense in the first two innings. GSU got their first lead of the day in the top of the third on a leadoff triple and a wild pitch.
 
FSU responded in the bottom half of the inning, as sophomore Chase O'Dell cranked his second homer of the year into right field to tie things at 1-1. Estrada came up with one out and again was a menace on the basepaths, as he stole second after hitting a single to bring up Jackson. This time, the Pioneers decided to pitch to the Bobcat first baseman, and he made them pay with his fourth home run of the weekend to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Glenville didn't go away, however, as they hit a solo homer in the fourth and a two-RBI double in the fifth, tacking on a sac fly as well to take a 5-3 lead. Frostburg got a run back in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double from freshman Jacob Stretch.
 
The Pioneers added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of some defensive mishaps to push the lead to 8-5. The Bobcats didn't lay down, however, as they attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Jones led off with a double, then Smith walked and Jones moved to third on a passed ball. Netterville replaced Smith on the basepaths and immediately rewarded the decision with a stolen base. Jones scored on an RBI groundout from Lawrence, and Netterville scored quickly after on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 8-6. Back-to-back walks from Stretch and sophomore Justin Jimenez put more pressure on GSU, but their bullpen was able to get enough outs to secure the win.

Maruskin was solid on the mound, throwing four innings of four-hit ball, allowing two runs while striking out six. Jackson had the top offensive performance with his pair of RBI, while Estrada was the lone Bobcat to have a multi-hit game.
 
With the split, Frostburg now stands at 19-6 on the year, while Glenville is now 18-8. FSU returns to action Wednesday, April 6 for a non-conference road game against Shippensburg, scheduled for 3 p.m. For information and updates stay tuned at frostburgsports.com.