Baseball Blasts 13 Homers, Scores 42 Runs in Sweep of Fairmont

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball team swept the Fairmont State Falcons on Thursday evening in an MEC doubleheader by scores of 18-15 and 24-1.

Frostburg got to scoring early, as freshman Jackson Schalick singled through left field reaching first. With two down, Schalick stole second and was brought home as junior Mikey Guy got a base hit for a 1-0 Bobcat lead early on.  Starting on the mound for the Bobcats was junior Jacob McDonald, who gave up no hits and left none on to retire the first inning. Fairmont caught Frostburg with three quick outs in their second offensive outing, as the score saw a tie as a single and fielder's choice scored a Falcon to bring the game to 1-1.

Another single by Schalick to start the third saw him at first, advancing to second off a wild pitch, and tagging up to place himself on third. With only one out, senior Ethan Kiple spotted up in the box, slamming the ball out of the par, allowing Frostburg to gain a 3-1 edge. Two outs to follow put the Bobcats in the field, as McDonald left one stranded and recorded a strikeout to move the game into the fourth.

The Bobcats took full advantage of a pitching change in the fourth, as they saw six runs in the inning. With two outs, freshmen Ryan Bouma and Logan Helser were brought in off a single from Schalick for a 5-0 score, as with Schalick on first, junior Randy Steen sent one out of the park earning two RBI, pushing Frostburg's lead to 7-1. Kiple now at the plate, hit a solo homer to tack on another run for Frostburg. With Guy and junior Danny Estrada on the corners, Bouma slid a single up the middle to give Guy room to score to sit the score at 9-1.

Fairmont kept the game interesting, as the first batter of the bottom of the fourth struck out swinging, but the Falcons followed with two singles, paired with a stolen base, for a 9-2 game. Junior Todd Murphy was called in to relieve McDonald, as the Falcons would not back down with single after single until the score saw 9-5. With still one out recorded, freshman Bryce Hendricks was put on the mound, but a home run by Fairmont made it a one-run game, 9-8. A Falcon taking one to the shoulder, then advancing on a passed ball, placed the runner on third, as a double tied the game at 9-9. Kiple was put on the mound to end the inning, getting the last two outs on a pick-off and a strikeout.

Helser led off the fifth taking the ball to the side, allowing him to walk to first. Senior Justin Jimenez then reached on a fielder's choice, advancing to second on a ground out. With two down, Steen was also hit by a pitch to place him on first, as both runners taking the next base on a passed ball put Jimenez on third and Steen on second. An intentional walk to Kiple loaded the bases, as a wild pitch advanced all three, scoring Jimenez to put Frostburg back on top 10-9. Guy, at the plate, added to the home run count for the Bobcats with one of his own, giving Frostburg a 13-9 lead. Two outs to follow put the Bobcats back on defense, as in the fifth, Kiple threw another strikeout but Fairmont scored four more runs to jump in front 14-13. Graduate Ben Vok was sent to deliver the next two outs, one being a strikeout and the other on a fielder's choice.

Helser and Schalick scored to take back the Bobcat's lead in the sixth, off a walk by Steen and Kiple hitting into a fielder's choice. Fairmont tied the game again at 15 after a triple to left field and a sacrifice fly, sending both teams into their final at-bats. In the final inning of game one, Estrada walked to first and then stole second, as junior Christian Shertzer knocked a single, advancing Estrada to third. With two on and one out, junior Ben Weiman was sent to pinch hit for Helser, hitting the ball in just the right spot, sending it out of the park grabbing the 18-15 lead for Frostburg. With the next two Bobcats out, junior Nate Vermillion was sent to close the game, grounding out his first batter and striking out the next two to save Frostburg's 18-15 win in game.

With the win, Vok recorded his first victory of the season, while Vermillion secures his fourth save. Kiple led in home runs with two, giving him 50 career home runs, as Steen, Guy and Weiman all hit one.  Schalick went 4-for-6 from the plate, while Estrada went 3-for-4 and Guy went 3-for-5. Guy led in RBI with four followed by Kiple and Wieman with three.

Leading off in game two, Schalick kicked things off to start the game earning a walk. Another homer for Steen put Frostburg up 2-0 right away, as a fly out put Guy in the box, who also added to his homerun count, putting Frostburg up 3-0.  Junior Patrick Bauer got the go ahead in game two, facing three batters and recording a strikeout in his initial inning.

With one down, Jimenez waited for just the right pitch, sending one over the fence for a solo homer and a 4-0 Bobcat advantage. Frostburg quickly extended their lead to 5-0, as Schalick hit a single and was sent home to score as Steen bashed a triple. A single through the left side from Kiple scored Steen, as a two-base hit from Guy left him and Kiple on the bases to shift into the bottom of the second with the Bobcats up 6-0. Fairmont earned a hit but a ground out and two more strikeouts on behalf of Bauer placed the game in the third. With then two away in the top of the inning, Jimenez smacked the ball for another solo home run, making it a 7-0 game. Bauer gave up a walk in the bottom of the inning, but logged two more strikeouts to close the third.

Kiple, patient at the plate, earned a walk to start the fourth, as Guy with another bomb over the fence brought the two running home to increase the game to 9-0. With one out, Estrada drew a walk and Weiman and senior Lucas Gulczynski were both hit by pitches to load the bases. Jimenez, in the box, took one to the side, advancing all runners with Estrada crossing home plate. A walk by senior Stafford Allison brought Weiman home for another run and a 11-0 score.  Fairmont with a pitching change brought Steen to the plate, with him singling through the right side, scoring Gulczynski to see the score at 12-0. Kiple followed with a double, scoring Allison and Jimenez, as another huge homer by Guy brought in three more runs to push Frostburg's lead to 17-0. Senior Nick Trey in to pinch hit struck a single, as with Weiman back at the plate with two outs, sent the ball out of the park for another Bobcat homer, making it a 19-0 game. 

Sophomore Will Ricketts was sent to relieve Bauer in the bottom of the fourth, with Ricketts recording a strikeout, but forfeiting a home run to allow the score to read 19-1.  Ricketts left one runner on to push the game into the fifth.  Allison and freshman Brian Scott got on base but were left stranded in the top half of the inning, as freshman Ben Burger picked up a strikeout from the mound in the bottom of the inning, leaving two Falcons on board. 

With one out in the top of the sixth, a double by Trey, with Weiman being hit by a pitch, brought up Gulczynski, who enhanced Frostburg's score by three as he homered to left field for a 22-1 game. The bottom of the sixth put freshman Cristian Bonilla on the hill, with him catching one swinging and tossing two ground outs to move the game into the final inning. Frostburg secured two more runs after singles by Shertzer and Trey, followed by a double from freshman Tiernan Daly, as a walk from Weiman and a single by Gulczynski brought the score to 24-1. Junior Hayden Ford closed the game for the Bobcats, throwing three strikeouts to end the game at 24-1.

Bonilla received the win in game two, his first of the season, moving his overall pitching record to 1-0. Eleven Bobcats earned at least one hit, as Guy went 4-for-4 from the plate with three home runs and six RBI. Home runs were also hit by Steen, Allison, Weiman, Gulczynski, and Jimenez, who knocked two, putting Frostburg at 13 total home runs on the day.

With the conclusion of today's games, Frostburg moves to an overall record of 35-11 and a conference record of 22-3, while Fairmont falls to an overall record of 17-26 and a conference record of 15-11. The Bobcats are back in action on Friday, May 3 as they take on Fairmont State in another MEC doubleheader starting at 1 PM in Frostburg, MD, where they will celebrate Senior Day in between games. For more information visit frostburgsports.com.