Mountain Lion Bats Lead to Doubleheader Sweep Over Softball

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Softball team dropped their home doubleheader to Concord by final scores of 10-3 and 9-8 on Monday.
 
CU wasted little time getting on the board in game one with a walk, hit batter, and groundout putting a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. Madison Hollis stepped in and laced a double into center to score both for a 2-0 lead. Hollis was equally as effective on the mound, holding FSU without a hit through the first four innings. She was given plenty of run support in the top of the third, with the Mountain Lions going for two singles and a double with their first three batters to plate the first run. A sac fly put another run home, followed up by another pair of singles and a double down the right side for a five-run inning and a 7-0 lead.
 
Junior Arden Miller was the first baserunner for the Bobcats, drawing a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth, while senior Cristina Sommerkamp broke up the no-hit bid in the fifth on a liner into center, but both would be left stranded. Having come into the game in the top of the third, junior Ally Myers was effective initially in keeping Concord off the board, allowing just three hits through three innings without another run scoring.
 
Frostburg finally got to Hollis in the bottom of the sixth, as freshman Sage Haller smacked a double to left center, with junior Gracie Nelson running out an infield single before a fielder's choice to freshman Bri Russo put runners on the corners. Miller lined a ball off the pitcher that allowed Haller to slide underneath the tag at home, then senior Hanna Binek hit a clutch two-out, two RBI single into left to make it a 7-3 game.
 
In the top of the seventh, CU ensured there would be little hope of a comeback, using another two singles and a Bobcat error to put three more runs on the board, going up 10-3. Freshman Julia Meagher came on to get a pinch-hit single, moving to second on a groundout and stealing third, but saw the game come to an end with a pop up to short for the seven-run loss.
 
Game two started in much different fashion than the first, with Myers getting a pair of grounders and a fly out in a relatively easy first. In the bottom half, Nelson worked another infield single while Binek reached on an error and senior Samara Funk poked a hit the other way to load the bases. Junior Olivia Stetler came up with a sharp liner just inside third base for a two-RBI double and a 2-0 first inning lead. The Mountain Lions came right back after facing their first deficit of the day, taking advantage of two FSU errors to go with three hits and a pair of passed balls, scoring four runs in the process to take a two-run advantage.
 
The Bobcats tried to work some two-out magic in the bottom half, as Nelson took a single the other way while Binek and Miller were hit by pitches to put the bags full, but a soft pop up to second held any runs from scoring. On in relief, Haller worked out of a lead-off double and wild pitch, getting an important pop out and back-to-back strikeouts to prevent another score. Concord continued to churn in the top of the fourth, drawing a lead-off walk followed by singles either side of a hit batter to score two more runs for a 6-2 lead.
 
Frostburg pulled a run back in their at-bats, with Miller earning a knock and being driven home on a deep double to the left-center gap off the bat of Funk. Now into the bottom of the fifth, Russo reached on an infield single, as Sommerkamp got just enough on a drive to center to carry it over the fence for a two-run homer and a sudden 6-5 game. CU still wasn't deterred, as the worked a pair of one-out hits and scored both after a two-base throwing error on a steal to move up 8-5.
 
Miller continued to give her team a chance, crushing a ball to deep left for the second Bobcat home run of the day and dropping the deficit to two. Meagher was able to toss a scoreless seventh to get Frostburg one more chance to salvage the contest. Despite going down 0-2 in the count, Nelson worked a patient at-bat to earn a walk, moving up to third on a double from Binek to put the tying runs in scoring position. A fly out brought FSU to their final out, as Funk held her nerve, lining a ball back up the middle to score both and keep the game alive at 8-8.
 
Heading into extras, CU led off with a walk and stole second, coming in for the go-ahead run on a double up against the left-field wall that just stayed fair. Meagher got back-to-back swinging strikeouts to limit the damage and bring the Bobcats back up to bat. Hollis came back in trying to earn the save, working two quick outs before Sommerkamp just about kept the game going with a single between third and short. Meagher put a liner into left but was caught on the run to end the game with a 9-8 score.
 
Funk led the offense with a 4-for-5 performance in game two, driving in three RBI, while Nelson, Binek, Miller, Russo, and Sommerkamp all also recorded multi-hit days.
 
With the sweep, Frostburg drops to 10-30 on the year, while Concord improves to 18-23. The Bobcats continue their homestand on Wednesday, April 16 for a 2 p.m. non-conference doubleheader against Shepherd. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.