HANOVER, Md. – The Frostburg State Baseball team split their Sunday twinbill with West Chester on Sunday, winning 5-0 and falling 11-0.
 
Seeking to rebound from losing both Saturday games, FSU started things off on the right foot immediately in game one, as freshman Drew Jourdan led things off with a single to right, followed by a one-out single from junior Jackson Shalick. After both runners advanced into scoring position via a wild pitch, senior Jake Holler knocked a ball into right, scoring each to give the Bobcats an early 2-0 lead. 
 
Already given some cushion by his offense, sophomore starter Hunter Layhew retired nine straight batters through three innings before FSU added more runs to the board in the fourth. Shalick led off being hit by a pitch before Holler rocketed one to the right-center gap for a triple to increase the lead to three. Two outs later, redshirt sophomore CJ Carmichael snuck a single through the hole in the left side, bringing Holler home for a 4-0 advantage
 
Both offenses went down quietly in their next at-bats before West Chester threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Two free bases put runners on, but Layhew worked his way out of the jam, getting a groundout and a strikeout to leave both stranded. The Bobcats then looked to add onto their lead in the next half frame, as Holler doubled and junior Brian Scott singled, but neither could score as a strikeout and fly out ended the inning.
 
Junior Joey Serafin came on in relief in the bottom of the sixth, working a quick 1-2-3 frame, bringing the FSU bats back up. A triple from Jourdan started a two-out rally, as sophomore Manny Hall followed with a single, giving the Bobcats a five-run cushion heading into the bottom of the seventh. Back out on the bump, Serafin found some early trouble, hitting a batter to lead off before striking out the next player and working a fly out to right. WCU stayed alive with a double and a walk before the final hitter went out swinging, securing the 5-0 victory for Frostburg.
 
Holler led the Bobcats with three hits and three RBIs, as Jourdan tallied two hits while scoring twice. Layhew threw five scoreless innings, only allowing one hit and a walk while striking out three, as Serafin threw two innings in relief, letting up one hit and a walk with a pair of K's. 
 
West Chester got a pair of strikeouts against Frostburg's offense to lead off game two, while Schalick worked an infield single before the frame ended on another K. Having been shutout in game one, the Golden Rams didn't have to wait very long to get on the board, using a walk, two stolen bases, and a wild pitch to go up 1-0.
 
FSU was able to get another two-out hit in the second, with redshirt sophomore CJ Carmichael putting a double into center, but another inning-ended strikeout resulted in no runs. The Bobcats got out of some trouble in the bottom half, as West Chester had runners on the corners with one out leading to a rare 3-6-1 double play. With another 1-2-3 Frostburg trip to the plate, WCU used patience in the third to further their lead, picking up three walks to load the bases and scoring twice on a sac fly and RBI groundout, taking the advantage to 3-0.
 
Neither side managed much offense in the fourth, with Schalick being the only baserunner on another infield hit. The Golden Rams came back up in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of singles either side of a walk again putting the bags full, as a double, single, and wild pitch plated three more runs for a 7-0 lead. West Chester's advantage grew in the sixth, getting a single and walk to lead off, with the Bobcats thinking they could escape trouble on a double play, but a pair of knocks, walk, hit by pitch, and wild pitch put four more runs on top, eventually making the final 11-0.
 
With the split, Frostburg is now 8-5 on the year while WCU improves to 8-2. FSU will now head into conference play while also playing their home opener at Bob Wells Field on Saturday, March 14 against Concord at 1 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.