FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State softball team hosted Concord for a Monday afternoon doubleheader, splitting the series by losing game one by a score of 3-4 and winning game two by a score of 4-3.
To start game one, sophomore Laura Gilford opened the bottom of the first inning with a single to center field, then stole second and moved to third on a sac bunt by junior Sierra Sanderson. Freshman Arden Miller singled into right field, bringing Gilford across the plate to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second inning, junior Katie Ernst opened the inning with a single into left field. Sophomores Samara Funk and Christina Sommercamp both earned walks to load the bases for the Bobcats, as Gilford would also battle to earn a walk, allowing a second FSU run to cross the plate and take a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the third inning, Concord earned one run of their own to cut their deficit to 2-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Sanderson reached base after being hit by a pitch, going on to steal second and crossing the plate when she tried advancing to third on a fly out and was hit by the ball, causing it to careen into foul territory to make the score 3-1.
In the top of the seventh inning, CU worked a walk, a pair of hits, and capitalized on a Frostburg error to plate three total runs and take a shock 4-3 lead. The Bobcats would not be able to come back in the bottom of the seventh despite a leadoff double from sophomore Jamie Roberts, giving the Mountain Lions the game one win.
In game two, the first two innings would be a battle of defense between both teams, with sophomore Allyssa Albright able to get out of early trouble in both the first and second innings. In the top of the third, however, Concord would finally take advantage of their runners on base, as a leadoff double and steal attempt resulted in the throw down sailing into left field to score the runner for an early 1-0 lead. Albright responded in the bottom of the third and helped her cause in the circle with a solo home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 1-1.
Both teams struggled for offense over the next few innings, with CU struggling to bring runners home and FSU not finding many hits. In the bottom of the sixth, Roberts singled to right field, then sophomore Mackenzie Baker entered the game as a pinch hitter and delivered with a two-run homer over the left field fence to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead.
The Mountain Lions mashed their own home run with one out in the top of the seventh, then used some more two-out magic and another Frostburg error to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bobcats were forced to try and get the walk-off win. Freshman Gracie Nelson and Sanderson both earned walks to give FSU runners on first and second, then each moved up a base after a fly-out from Funk. Roberts came up big once again, bringing the walk-off run across the plate with a liner into the gap in right-center field that plated Nelson for the 4-3 win.
With the split, Frostburg moves to 26-17 on the year, while the Mountain Lions move to 16-29 on the season. The Bobcats are set to travel to take on Bowie State for a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 19, with first pitch slated for 2 PM. For more information on Frostburg State Softball, please visit http://frostburgsports.com.
