Offense Scores Early and Often in Baseball Win Over Slippery Rock

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Baseball team used strong performances on both sides of the field to take down Slippery Rock 11-2 on Tuesday afternoon in a big Atlantic Region matchup.

Freshman Jack Ray got the start from the mound for Frostburg in the team's nine-inning midweek game, as Slippery Rock came out hot, belting four hits and scoring two runs to jump in front 2-0 in their first look at offense. The Bobcats then showed their own offensive prowess in the bottom of the first, as freshman Jackson Schalick got on base after being hit by a pitch and was brought in right away from an RBI triple down the right field line by junior Randy Steen. Junior Danny Estrada then picked up an RBI, ripping a single to right field, bringing in Steen to tie things up at 2-2 after the first.

Ray showed SRU a 1-2-3 inning in the second, picking up a strikeout, as FSU put another one on the board to take the lead. Freshman Ryan Bouma led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, advancing to second as senior Aidan Duda walked. Freshman Logan Helser then singled, loading the bases for Frostburg, as junior Ben Weiman put the ball in play, reaching on a fielder's choice and recording an RBI, as Bouma crossed home plate to put the Bobcats on top 3-2. Ray saw another solid inning from the mound in the third, as a double by junior Mikey Guy and an RBI single from Duda pushed FSU's lead to 4-2 heading into the fourth.

The Rock got a runner on in the top of the fourth inning off an error from the Bobcats, but Ray was able to strand the runner, ending the inning with a strikeout. Frostburg went for another strong offensive outing in their at-bats of the fourth, as Weiman was hit by a pitch to start the frame, with junior Christian Shertzer coming in to pinch run. Schalick then drew a walk, as a groundout from Steen advanced both runners up a base. Senior Ethan Kiple was then intentionally walked to load the bases, as back-to-back RBI singles from Estrada and Guy added two more runs for FSU, with Bouma then walking in another bases-loaded situation, ending the fourth with the Bobcats ahead 7-2.

Slippery Rock cracked a hit in the fifth, with Ray leaving another baserunner on, as Frostburg continued to put runs on the board. Helser led off the bottom half of the fifth with a single to left but was thrown out on a fielder's choice from freshman Tiernan Daly. Daly then proceeded to steal second, advancing to third on an infield single from Steen. Kiple then knotted an RBI single to left, scoring Daly, as another single from Estrada scored Steen, pushing FSU's lead to 9-2.

Ray got the first out of the sixth, setting up junior Cael Huyer to come in from the bullpen, as he let two runners on, but struck out two to get out of the jam. Shertzer collected the lone hit of the sixth for FSU, leading to graduate Daniel Morgano coming onto the bump for the Bobcats in the top half of the seventh, setting The Rock down in order. Frostburg tacked on two more runs in their offensive look in the seventh, as Steen led off the inning with a single and stolen base. Estrada then knotted a double, scoring Steen, as the former advanced to third on an error by Slippery Rock's outfield. Bouma then hit a sacrifice fly out to right, allowing Estrada to trot in for an 11-2 score.

Morgano sat SRU down in order once again in the top of the eighth, as FSU saw a quick half inning from the plate as well. Freshman Bryce Hendricks came to the mound to finish the game for the Bobcats in the top half of the ninth, giving up one hit, but striking out back-to-back batters to end the game in favor of Frostburg, 11-2.

Estrada paved the way offensively for the Bobcats, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and one run. Steen was right behind him with three hits in five at-bats, tallying three runs and one RBI. Guy and Helser each recorded a pair of hits, while four Bobcats went for one. Ray picked up his second win of the season, tossing 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and two runs along with four strikeouts. Two strikeouts from both Huyer and Hendricks put FSU's pitching staff at eight K's on the day, as the bullpen didn't allow a run through 3.2 innings of work.

With the win, Frostburg improves to 28-11, while Slippery Rock moves to 24-12. The Bobcats will await Notre Dame College this weekend, hosting the Falcons in a two-day, four-game series starting on Saturday, April 27 at 1 PM on Bobcat Youth Day. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.