Frostburg State University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball team swept Fairmont State in their Friday doubleheader, winning 11-0 and 12-1.

The start of the game went by quickly, as the Bobcat offense was set down 1-2-3 before junior John Smith kept the Fighting Falcons at bay, only allowing a one-out walk. In the top of the second, Frostburg broke through the score column, as freshman Drew Jourdan hit a one-out single to left before junior Ryan Bouma continued his success from earlier in the week, belting a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for a 2-0 lead.

With his offense providing support, Smith saw the first batter reach on an error but had no trouble retiring Fairmont's remaining hitters via two fly balls and a grounder to put his team back at the plate. Freshmamn Tanner Cunningham led off the third with a walk before moving over to second on a sophomore Manny Hall sac bunt, then scored when junior Jackson Schalick sent one into the left-center gap for a double. Using his speed to his advantage, Schalick stole third, which allowed him to score on a soft RBI grounder from senior Jake Holler to increase the Bobcats' lead to four.

Back out on the mound, Smith worked his first 1-2-3 inning of the day, getting three straight grounders, including fielding one himself. In the fourth, Frostburg's offense continued its momentum, as sophomore Zane Bohn led off the inning with a double before redshirt sophomore CJ Carmichael worked a single, as both runners advanced a base on a well-executed sac bunt from sophomore Sam Atkinson. With two runners in scoring position, Cunningham lined a single up the middle to score both, then Schalick scorched a double to right, plating Cunningham. The last run of the inning came when Holler drove a single to right field, as Jackson came across the plate to put the advantage at 8-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, Smith saw his first real trouble of the day, allowing a lead-off single followed by a pair of outs, with Fairmont worked an infield hit and a walk to load the bases. Keeping his nerve, Smith got out of the jam via a swinging K, allowing the shutout bid to continue. Carmichael looked to provide another spark with a two-out double just inside the third base line, however a strikeout left him stranded. Sophomore Mac Crismond came on in relief during the fifth, easing his way to a grounder and back-to-back fly outs. Cunningham began the sixth with a double to left but would be caught trying to steal third, as a strikeout and fly to center brought the frame to a close. 

The Falcons looked to get themselves on the board with a lead-off double in the bottom half, however Crismond settled in, getting a foul out to right, a swinging strikeout, and a grounder to second to preserve the scoreless streak. Frostburg broke into the score column once more in the seventh, as Holler beat out a grounder to third for an infield single before Bouma followed with one of his own, then junior Logan Helser got plunked to load the bases. Coming off the bench, freshman Landon Marple floated a single to left, scoring two runs before Cunningham kept things going another single to center to score Helser and balloon the Bobcats' lead to 11-0. Entrusted to get the final three outs, Crismond started out the seventh with a hit by pitch but quickly recovered, as he got the next three Fairmont hitters via a grounder and two fly outs, giving Frostburg the 11-0 win. 

Cunningham led the Bobcat offense with three hits and drove in just as many runs, while scoring two himself, as Schalick, Holler, and Bouma all recorded a pair of RBIs. Smith earned the win, throwing four innings and surrendering only two hits, while Crismond threw three innings to earn the save, only allowing two runners to reach base. 

Continuing his success from game one, Cunningham led off game two with a walk before Holler hit a two-out single to put runners on the corners, however Fairmont was able to keep Frostburg off the board with a groundout. In the bottom of the frame, freshman Bryce Bauer was handed the ball and despite allowing the first batter he faced to single to right, he locked down on the next three with a pair of groundballs and a looking K. The Bobcats found their groove in the second, as Marple drew a one-out walk before stealing second, then moved to third on a Carmichael ground ball, which allowed for a single from freshman Mason Kelleher to score him for an early 1-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the second, Bauer received some help from his defense as a lead-off single was erased with a 5-4-3 double play before the last Fairmont hitter got caught looking. After the first two batters for the Bobcats reached in the third on Bohn getting plunked and Schalick singling, the Falcons got two quick outs and looked to keep the score close, but Bouma didn't allow that as he sent the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for a three-run shot, bringing the score to 4-0. 

Finally ending their scoreless day, Fairmont brought in a run on a lead-off single and two-out double, cutting the deficit down to three. That margin wouldn't last long, as in the fourth, Carmichael led off with a walk before Cunningham laid down a beautiful bunt for a single. After Carmichael moved his way to third, chaos erupted on the base paths, with Cunningham taking off for second and Carmichael made a move to score on the throw, with the former moving up to third. Schalick then drew a walk before Holler ripped a single to center to plate Cunningham for a 6-1 score.

Bauer was efficient in the bottom of the frame, as he worked three groundballs to keep the Falcons at bay. After a scoreless fifth, the Bobcats added two more in the sixth, with Cunningham once again starting the rally with a single to second before swiping two bags to end up on third, as Hall got hit by pitch and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Hall then came across when Holler doubled down the left field line to bring the score to 8-1. 

Coming out of the bullpen, sophomore Kamden Sowers picked up right where Bauer left off, keeping Fairmont's offense quiet outside of a one-out single with two strikeouts. In the seventh, Frostburg added a few more runs, as Marple started things off with a hit by pitch before heading to second on a wild pitch while Carmichael walked. Another single from Kelleher brought a hustling Marple home before Cunningham struck a ball cleanly that went over the left field fence for a three-run homer to give the Bobcats a dominant 11-run lead heading into the final frame. Junior Evan Biddle came out to get the final three outs, and despite allowing the first two runners to reach base, he sat the next three hitters down, securing the 12-1 victory. 

Cunningham and Holler each recorded three hits, combining for five RBIs while Bouma drove in three with his homer. Bauer got the win, going five innings, allowing just one run on five hits as Sowers and Biddle each threw one scoreless inning, surrendering a total of two hits.

With the sweep, Frostburg improves to 32-16 as the Falcons fall to 19-27. The Bobcats are back at home on Sunday, May 2, as they continue their regular season series finale with a doubleheader at Bob Wells Field starting at 1 PM, where it will be senior day. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com