FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Baseball team swept Alderson Broaddus on day one of their four-game series on Friday afternoon, winning by scores of 7-3 and 7-2.
To start the day for the Bobcats, junior Mikey Guy homered on to left field his first at bat, putting FSU up 1-0 going into the second. AB was able to get a few hits in the second that resulted in a score tied at 1-1. The bottom of the third is where Frostburg started to heat up. Guy was able to reach first off a single and advanced to third off a wild pitch and an error. Junior Ethan Kiple made strong contact with the ball and sent one over the fence, earning himself a pair of RBI and a 3-1 lead . Sophomore Randy Steen also wanted some of the home run action and hit a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-1.
The Battlers would not go away, as Tanner Cook and Derek Marinucci were walked to start the fifth. Chandler Ballenger was able to hit a single and brought Cook around two bases to score 4-2. Senior Andrew Smith and junior Stafford Allison hit back-to-back jacks in the bottom of the sixth to put FSU up 6-2. Sophomore Danny Estrada was walked late in the sixth and then stole second, putting him in scoring position. Senior Trevor Jones was able to hit a single and advance on a bad throw, which brought Estrada home. In the top of the seventh, AB was able to sneak in one run, but junior Nate Vermillion would save the day and get the Bobcats out of the game with a 7-3 victory.
The Bobcats were able to roll over their strong hitting from the first game to the second, as Estrada led off with a double down the right field line, already putting himself in scoring position. He was then able to take a base off a wild pitch before Kiple was able to match and hit a double of his own, bringing in Estrada. Jones hit a fly ball that sent Kiple to third, then Steen walked, Kiple scored on a passed ball, and Steen scored off a stolen base and single from Smith for an early 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Allison reached on an error, followed by sophomore Christian Shertzer walking to first. Estrada laced another double into right-center and brought both Shertzer and Allison home for a 5-0 lead. Estrada was then able to get to third and run home on a wild pitch. AB was able to get their first runs in both the top of the third and fourth innings, putting the score at 6-2 FSU. The last run of the day was scored by the Bobcats in the bottom of the fourth, with Estrada reaching yet again after being hit by a pitch. He was able to advance to second on a passed ball and scored when Kiple hit a single to center. Senior Jack Maruskin was able to earn three strikeouts in the top of the seventh to end the day with a 7-2 win.
FSU hit five home runs on the day, with Jones earning his 100th career hit and Kiple tying former teammate Bryce Jackson for second place on the all-time home run chart in program history.
With today's wins, Frostburg moves to 22-17 on the year, while AB falls to 10-28. The Bobcats are back in action on Sunday, April 23 as they play their last two games against the Battlers, with the doubleheader set to start at 1 pm. For more information visit frostburgsports.com.
