Baseball Belts Five Homers in First Two Games of Wheeling Series
WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball Team swept the Wheeling Cardinals in their doubleheader on Sunday afternoon by scores of 6-2 and 6-1.
Wheeling's defense saw three up, three down to start game one, as junior Jacob McDonald took the mound for the Bobcats. With the first two batters grounding out, the third hole hit a bomb to right field giving WU a 1-0 lead. A pair of singles by freshman Ryan Bouma and junior Danny Estrada put runners on base for Frostburg in the top of the second, as junior Randy Steen hit into a fielder's choice resulting in Estrada out advancing to second. With runners on the corners, Steen looked to steal second but would be picked off. The Cardinal's got out of the top of the inning with a strikeout, leaving one Bobcat on base. On the defensive end, FSU caught a runner stealing, as a double play would move the game into the third.
FSU started the third inning with two quick outs, as now at the top of the lineup, freshman Jackson Schalick had his first hit with a double to left field. Senior Ethan Kiple then at the plate, swung and smashed the ball over the left field fence, earning two RBI while giving FSU a 2-1 advantage. Two ground outs and McDonald catching a batter swinging moved the game into the fourth. A hit by Steen put him on first, but Frostburg left him on base, as Wheeling was not able to advance their score, leaving one on, as a three up, three down fifth inning then led the game into the sixth.
Kiple, with his second hit of the day, doubled far left to get things going in the sixth. Earning his first hit of the game, junior Mikey Guy sent the ball flying over the right field fence, also bringing in Kiple, for a two RBI gain and a 4-1 lead. Bouma then doubled, but two fly outs and a strikeout left him on second. Graduate Dan Morgano was pulled from the bullpen to pitch in the bottom of the sixth to relieve McDonald, as WU got one run back on two errors by the Bobcats while Morgano picked up three strikeouts.
Senior Aidan Duda strolled to first after getting hit by a pitch to start off the seventh,with freshman Tiernan Daly coming in to pinch run. Daly advanced all the way to third after tagging up on two fly outs. Kiple, on a hot streak, hit the ball in the perfect spot, hammering it over the fence for another home run and a 6-2 edge. In the bottom of the seventh, Kiple took the mound to close the game for FSU, as Frostburg's defense served up three outs only giving up one hit to win game one 6-2.
Frostburg started game two with a hit from Kiple, but left one on. Junior Patrick Bauer got the nod in game two, giving up a hit to the leadoff batter, but then catching the next three batters swinging. Bouma, leading off in the second inning, wrecked the ball over left field for a solo home run and a 1-0 Bobcat lead. Steen and junior Christian Shertzer kept the offense going for Frostburg, each collecting a single. Another single by senior Justin Jimenez sent Steen running through two bases, giving FSU a 2-0 lead. Bauer and the Bobcat's defense only allowed one hit in the second.
Guy and Estrada were both hit by a pitch placing them on first and second to start the third, as Bouma hit into a double play for WU to pick up two quick outs, with Guy advancing to third on the play. With a runner in scoring position, Steen had another hit, bringing Guy home for a 3-0 game. Bauer faced four Cardinals in the bottom half of the third, stranding a runner on base.
The fourth inning saw six batters and six outs. Kiple and Guy were then placed on first and second after a walk and a single in the fifth, as both moved a base with a ground out from Estrada. With two outs, Steen, with the hot bat, earned three RBI after sending one over the fence to push FSU ahead 6-0. Freshman Logan Helser was left on after a single to left field to end Frostburg's at-bats. Bauer dealt a ground out, paired with two strikeouts to push the game into the sixth.
Schalick had the only hit by the Bobcats in the sixth after doubling to right field, as with two outs, Wheeling sent a homer to left field giving the Cardinals their only score of the game. Steen had another hit in the top of the seventh, with a stolen base as well. Freshman Evan Biddle took the mound to close the game for FSU, facing three batters for three outs and one strikeout, as the game ended with the Bobcats on top 6-1.
Steen led the way offensively for FSU with five total hits, including a 4-for-4 performance at the plate in game two. Kiple was right behind him with four hits, while him and Steen both collected four RBI each, combining for six runs. Seven other Bobcats recorded at least one hit, while Kiple, Steen, Bouma, and Guy combined for five bombs on the day. McDonald brings his pitching record to 6-1 after the victory in game one, pitching five innings and throwing 67 pitches, only allowing five hits, one run, and one walk while striking out two. With the win in game two, Bauer, throwing 95 pitches, moves his overall record to 5-1, giving up only four hits and one run in six innings pitched, while walking none and striking out six.
With the conclusion of today's doubleheader, Frostburg moves to an overall record of 23-8 and a conference record of 16-2 while Wheeling falls to an overall record of 18-15 and a conference record of 8-10. Frostburg takes on the Cardinals for another doubleheader on Monday, April 15 starting at 1 PM in Wheeling, WV. For more information, visit frostburgsports.com.
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