In the first game of the day, the bats would be going early on both sides. FSU would hit first and take the lead right away, as freshman Drew Jourdan and sophomore Manny Hall earned back-to-back walks and were driven in by juniors Jackson Schalick and Ryan Bouma. After junior Logan Helser drew the third walk of the frame, senior Jake Holler would hit a three-run bomb to put the Bobcats up 5-0.

AU would respond immediately, starting off their at-bats with a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. A pair of singles and a three-RBI triple would even the score before redshirt freshman Cody Sharman, coming out of the bullpen, was able to work a groundout and pop out. The Bobcats went scoreless in the second, while the Eagles used some small ball to get the lead, opening with a single and stolen base, then moving to third on a sac bunt and coming in to score on another base knock. Coming on as the third Frostburg pitcher of the game, sophomore Kamden Sowers struck out the final two batters of the frame to limit the damage to one run. 

After FSU left a pair of runners on in the top of the third, Sowers ensured Ashland wouldn't add on to the advantage, getting another pair of K's in setting the side down in order. The Bobcats were able to find their offensive momentum again in the fourth, helped out initially by an Eagle error that allowed junior Brian Scott to reach and advance to second. Jourdan brought him home on a double into right, then scored himself after Hall launched a homer to right that put Frostburg up 8-6. Schalick then reached on a walk and made it all the way around to third following an error, as another AU defensive mishap off of Holler's bat brought him home for a three-run lead. 

Ashland got a run back in the bottom half with a one-out single and RBI double but Frostburg was able to respond in the fifth. Scott and Jourdan walked on back-to-back trips to the plate, then Hall was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Schalick brought Scott in on a sacrifice fly to right field, but the Eagles were able to hold on in allowing just the one with the score at 10-7. AU chipped their way back again in their at-bats, using a double and back-to-back singles to pull within two. 

The Bobcats were sat down in order in the sixth, bringing Ashland back to the plate with their bats ready to go. A homer led things off before adding a single to right and a walk, with both runners being brought in on their second whack over the fence, plating four for the inning and a 12-10 lead. With it being a seven-inning opener, FSU had one more chance to come back, but could only manage a Jourdan double to left with a strikeout ending things with the Eagle victory. 

Jourdan was flawless at the plate, hitting 3-for-3 and walking twice, while Sowers led the pitching staff at 2.2 innings pitched, just one run allowed, and five strikeouts.

Looking to shake off the loss now in a nine-inning contest, Jourdan picked up right where he left off to start game two, as he and Holler earned walks either side of a Hall single to load the bases with one out. An infield fly and error by Ashland allowed Jourdan to score the opening run from third, though no other runners would cross the plate. Getting the rubber match start, sophomore Hunter Layhew sat the Eagles down 1-2-3 with a grounder, pop out, and fly out.

The Bobcats would pick up another run in the second, as redshirt sophomore CJ Carmichael led off with a walk and got to third on an error before coasting home on sophomore Sam Atkinson's homer for a 2-0 advantage. Both sides went down in their next trip to the plate, bringing the Eagles back up in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back singles started the frame, as both runners moved up on a sac bunt and came in to score on a two-RBI single to even things at 2-2. Coming back up in the fourth, Ashland added two more on a lead-off error followed immediately by a home run to take a two-run lead. They tacked another on in the fifth, drawing three walks before an infield single brought home another run for a 5-2 score.

Freshman Will Mollman would give the Bobcats a spark in the sixth, smacking a solo homer to plate their first run in four frames. Having come on in relief during the fifth, junior John Smith worked out of a lead-off single in the sixth with a pair of K's and an easy pop-up to third, then overcame a two-out double in the seventh with a fly ball to left. His offense provided a bit of run support in the top of the eighth, as after a pop out and fly out, junior Konner Pittman and Carmichael went for back-to-back two-baggers to salvage the inning and get within 5-4.

Smith helped himself out in the bottom of the eighth, as after allowing a one-out single, he got a pop out to short and picked off the runner at first to take things into the ninth. Trailing by one and looking to win the series, freshman Tanner Cunningham earned a walk to begin the comeback bid, moving to second after Jourdan laid down a sacrifice. A wild pitch allowed Cunningham to move to third, then Helser drew a pinch-hit walk and was replaced on the basepaths by Scott. Schalick came up with the much-needed hit, a two-run double to left to put FSU up by one run. FSU wouldn't be satisfied with that advantage, as Holler would add some insurance with his second long ball of the day, making the score 8-5. Smith continued his dominance in the final frame, striking out the first two batters, though the latter reached on a wild pitch, however a fly out and another strikeout ensured there would be no AU magic. 

Carmichael was the lone Bobcat to record multiple hits, while Schalick and Holler each drove in a pair of runs. Smith was excellent in his first FSU appearance, tossing five innings and earning his first victory with just four hits allowed, no runs, and seven strikeouts. 
 

With the split, Frostburg is now 2-1 to start the season, while Ashland drops to 2-4. The Bobcats will hit the road Friday, February 20 to play four games over two days in Cary, NC. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.