CARY, NC – The Frostburg State Baseball team opened their 2025 campaign down south on Saturday, starting with a 5-4 win over Slippery Rock.
Sophomore Jack Ray got the nod on the bump to open up the defensive half for Frostburg, with Ray sitting down The Rock in order while picking up his first strikeout of the season. Heading to the plate, sophomore Jackson Schalick led off, slamming one over the left field fence for a season starting home run and a quick 1-0 Bobcat lead. Graduate Randy Steen drew a walk in his first at-bat, proceeding to steal second and come home on an RBI single from senior Doyle McNew. Ray picked up two more strikeouts in the top half of the second, as FSU kept their 2-0 lead heading into the third.
Slippery Rock got their bats going in the third, seeing four hits and two runs for a tie game. Frostburg worked to regain the lead in their offensive half of the inning, as sophomore Ryan Bouma led off with a double to right field, coming home to score on another RBI single from McNew. SRU responded well in the fourth, tying the game at three and causing junior Joe Pippin to come in to pitch. Pippin was able to get out of the jam, getting two outs and leaving two on.
Both teams saw a quiet next at-bat, as Bouma reached on an error to start the bottom of the fifth, crossing home plate for a 4-3 FSU lead off an RBI triple from Steen. Steen then scored on a passed ball, giving the Bobcats a 5-3 edge heading into the sixth. Pippin went 1-2-3 from the mound in the top of the sixth, as redshirt freshman CJ Carmichael and Schalick racked up hits in the bottom half of the inning, but were left on base. Senior Cael Huyer came in to pitch in the seventh, sitting three batters down in order. Junior Kade Abrisz knotted his first hit of the season in the seventh, sending a single to right field, but was also left on base as the game remained 5-3 heading into the eighth.
Graduate Dan Morgano was given the bump in the eighth, also seeing a 1-2-3 inning, as Frostburg was unable to put anyone on in their at-bats. Redshirt senior Nate Vermillion came in to finish out the game in the ninth, as Slippery Rock got one run back, but Vermillion was able to strike out back-to-back batters to end the game with FSU on top 5-4.
Schalick and McNew each saw a pair of hits on the day, combining for three RBI. Five other Bobcats picked up a hit, while Bouma and Steen scored two runs each. Pippin was given the win, with Vermillion picking up the save. Ray threw 3.1 innings, striking out a team-high six batters.
With the win, Frostburg starts their season 1-0, while Slippery Rock now shows a 2-1 record. The Bobcats are back in action in Cary, NC tomorrow, February 23 with a 4:30 PM contest set against Kutztown. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.
