CARY, NC – The Frostburg State Baseball team defeated Gannon on Sunday morning by a final score of 6-1 to conclude their weekend down south with a winning record.

Junior Randy Steen led off the game ripping a single to left for Frostburg's first hit of the day, though he would be part of an inning-ending double play without a run. On defense, sophomore Joe Pippin got the start on the mound for the Bobcats, sitting Gannon down in order in their first at-bats, recording two strikeouts. FSU got things going in the top half of the second, as junior Danny Estrada roped a single to center, then freshman Jackson Shalick followed with one of his own. As Estrada moved to third on the knock, Shalick went for second, with the Knights throwing the ball away, allowing Estrada to score and Shalick to reach third. Freshman Ryan Bouma then smacked an RBI single to center, scoring Schalick, putting Frostburg ahead 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Pippin continued to dominate from the bump, only giving up one hit to Gannon in the second and striking out the side. The Bobcats added to their lead in their offensive half of the third, as Steen recorded another single, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and crossed home plate on an RBI single from Estrada. After two walks loaded the bases for FSU, Schalick was hit by a pitch to walk in a run for a 4-0 lead. The Golden Knights struggled to find the strike zone, walking Bouma, allowing Estrada to cross home as well for a 5-0 game.

Gannon continued to struggle on offense, as Pippin sat them down 1-2-3 in the third. With the Bobcats going scoreless in the fourth, GU thought they had an opportunity to finally get on the board with back-to-back two-out walks, but Pippin dotted the corner on a strike three looking, ending his four innings of scoreless ball. FSU got their momentum going again in the fifth, as Estrada continued his hitting streak, smacking a single to right field, advancing to second and third as Frostburg was able to put the ball in play, and finally coming around to score on a bases loaded walk once more.

On in relief of Pippin, graduate Daniel Morgano kept the shutout bid going, giving up just one hit and striking out two looking. Both teams were quiet over the next three innings, as junior Patrick Bauer was next out of the pen, tossing a pair of three up, three down innings with a pair of K's. Frostburg was kept quiet on offense, but it wasn't required to spark, as freshman Jack Ray was the next Bobcat arm to put GU down in order, earning a pair of strikeouts in the eighth. It took until the bottom of the ninth for the Golden Knights to score in their last-bats on a sacrifice fly, as the game ended 6-1 in favor of FSU.

Estrada led the way offensively for FSU, going 3-for-3 on the day with three runs and one RBI. Steen finished with two hits and one run, as five other Bobcats earned a hit. Bauer was credited with the win for his first of the season, as Pippin finished his four inning shutout with seven strikeouts and just three hits allowed. The rest of the pitching staff combined to allow just one hit and no walks while striking out six. 

With the win, Frostburg moves to 5-5 on the season, while Gannon drops to 0-8. FSU will next travel to play Shepherd in a two-day series that begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 9 at 1 PM. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.