FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Baseball team split with the Wheeling Cardinals in their home doubleheader on Friday afternoon, earning the 9-2 win in game one, and falling 14-11 in game two.
In game one, junior Max Proctor started on the mound for Frostburg, not giving up a run until the fourth inning, as FSU scored in their first two at-bats of the game. To start off the game, sophomore Danny Estrada hit a triple to center field and scored on an RBI single from junior Ethan Kiple, for 1-0 FSU lead after the first. The second inning is where FSU would score their greatest number of runs in game one, as junior Stafford Allison hit a hard double to left field, followed by sophomore Randy Steen getting on base after being hit by a pitch, with Estrada earning himself another hit, this time a three-run bomb over the right field fence, allowing the Bobcats to jump out to a 4-0 after two.
Action started for the Cardinals in the top of the fourth, as they got on board with a homerun of their own. Proctor wouldn't allow for Wheeling to score again in the inning, as he recorded two more strikeouts on the day. Sophomore Cy Probst would help FSU keep the lead as he doubled to center field in the fourth, and was sent around to score on an RBI double from Allison to bring the score to 5-1. Allison would then score a run of his own, as Steen singled and an error by the Cardinals allowed everyone to earn an extra base, allowing Allison to score the sixth run of the game for the Bobcats. FSU tacked on another run in the top of the fifth, as Kiple earned a leadoff single and was sent around the bases to score, as sophomore Christian Shertzer reached on a fielder's choice.
Wheeling hit another homerun in the top of the sixth, to bring the game to 7-2. With Frostburg then back up to bat, Steen singled and advanced to third on an error, as Estrada was then hit by a pitch, putting him on first. With Steen in scoring position, sophomore Mikey Guy hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Steen to score from third with ease. Estrada would then proceed to steal second and also come around to score, on an RBI double from Senior Trevor Jones to bring the game to 9-2. Proctor still on the mound for the Bobcats in the seventh, only gave up one hit and stranded two on base, earning himself three more strikeouts and a 9-2 win in game one.
Wheeling would come out hot in the second game, scoring four runs in the first. Frostburg fired right back, scoring six runs of their own for a 6-4 lead after one. Guy ripped a single, and was sent around to score on an error and a pair of Bobcat singles, with freshman Bryce Curry being credited with the RBI. With bases then loaded, Kiple was walked, which would bring in a run. Allison then hit a RBI single, as junior Justin Jimenez put the ball in play, allowing another run to score as well. Steen was then credited with a two-RBI single, allowing the sixth run of the inning to cross the plate for Frostburg.
The Cardinals settled down in the second, before FSU added two more runs to their lead as Guy ripped another single and Kiple reached on another Wheeling errors, both soon to be brought home on single from Jones and a groundout from Shertzer. Wheeling started to get their offensive momentum back in the third, tacking on one more run to bring the game to 8-5. Frostburg started to find themselves settling down on offense, as the Cardinals continued to pick up the pace, scoring two more in the top of the fourth, to make the game 8-7.
FSU was able to respond in the bottom of the fourth, as Guy connected with his third single of the game, and was sent around to score on a two-run bomb from Jones. The Cardinals kept their momentum going on offense, coming around to score six runs in the fifth for a 13-10 lead. The Bobcats got one run back in their at-bats of the fifth, as Kiple was credited with an RBI single.
Both teams stayed quiet in the sixth, before Wheeling tacked on one more run to their lead in the top of the seventh, to bring the game to 14-11 heading into Frostburg's last at-bats of the game. The Cardinals pitching put up a solid effort in the bottom of the seventh, as Frostburg wasn't able to get any runners on board in their last chance at the plate, dropping the game with a final of 14-11.
Jones led the way on offense for FSU, finishing with four hits on the day as Estrada, Guy, Kiple, and Steen were all credited with three hits apiece. Jones and Estrada both recorded three RBI as well, as five Bobcats all recorded three runs apiece. Proctor earned his sixth win of the season in game one, giving up five hits and two runs, while striking out 11.
With the conclusion of the first two games of the series, FSU moves to 19-15 on th season, while Wheeling goes to 18-15. The Bobcats are back in action on Sunday, April 16 as they will host Wheeling for another conference doubleheader, with the first game set to begin at 1 PM. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.
