Offense, McDonald Shine as Baseball Knocks Off Golden Eagles to Remain Undefeated Across First Two Games of Tournament

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball team scored 12 runs off 12 hits to defeat the defending champions of Charleston (WV) on Friday in eight innings by a final score of 12-1 to remain undefeated across their first two days of the MEC Tournament. 
 
Redshirt CJ Carmichael became the first base runner for either team in the two squads second game of the conference tournament, as he was hit by a pitch with one out.  Senior Mikey Guy followed in Carmichael's footsteps, also being hit by a pitch, as both Bobcats were given a free base.  With sophomore Ryan Bouma then up to bat, he put Frostburg in the lead 3-0 with a three-run shot over the center field fence for the Bobcats first hit of the contest.  Senior Jacob McDonald took the mound in the bottom of the inning for FSU, seeing the minimum in his first outing, recording his first strikeout of the day. 
 
Freshman Manny Hall kept the energy going for Frostburg, starting the second with a single to right field.  Sophomore Brian Scott took Hall's place after putting out a fielder's choice, as sophomore Jackson Schalick sent out the second bomb of the day for Frostburg, as well as his second of the tournament, collecting two RBI to increase the game to 5-0.  McDonald once again fed off the Bobcats' offensive energy, going three-up three-down once more to close out the inning with a pair of K's.
 
Redshirt junior Ben Wieman knocked out the lone single of the third for Frostburg, as Charleston stole a solo shot off McDonald for their first hit of the game to sit the score at 5-1 after three.  Schalick and Guy each got on board off walks in the fourth, both being left on base, as McDonald continued to soar through UC's lineup with two more punch outs in the bottom of the inning.  Wieman led off the fifth with FSU's third home run of the day, sending a solo shot to left field to push the game to 6-1.  The Golden Eagles collected back-to-back singles in their at-bats of the inning, but McDonald coughed up another strikeout and a double play to end the inning with Frostburg still in control.
 
Both squads saw a zero hit sixth inning, with McDonald again tossing a 1-2-3 go-around from the bump.  The Bobcats got their bats going once more for another rally in the seventh, as Wieman led off with a single, followed by Hall sending one out as well.  The former scored from third after a sacrifice fly from Schalick, as the latter sprinted home after an RBI double from Carmichel to increase FSU's edge to 8-1.  Charleston found a single in the bottom of the seventh, but McDonald dealt another solid inning to leave the runner stranded. 
 
Junior Jake Holler was hit by a pitch to start the eighth, as senior Christian Shertzer came in to pinch run, moving over to third off a double from Wieman.  Abrisz connected on a deep fly ball to center to bring in Shertzer, as another single from Hall scored Wieman for a 10-1 game.  Scott then doubled to center to score Hall, as Schalick sent a ball to the left side that went under the shortstop's glove, allowing Scott to come home on the error to put the score at 12-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth.  McDonald went out in hopes of closing the game early, coughing up three quick outs from the Golden Eagles to get the 12-1 dub over the defending champs. 
 
Wieman and Hall carried Frostburg's offense each with a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the plate, combining for five runs and two RBI.  Four other Bobcats recorded a hit on the day, as Schalick and Bouma collected three RBI each.  McDonald threw his second complete game of the season, going a full eight innings giving up just five hits, one run, and three walks while striking out eight for his seventh win of the season. 
 
With the win, Frostburg moves to 36-15 on the season, while Charleston drops to 26-24.  The Bobcats advance to day four of the tournament, facing the overall No. 1 seed and division rival Point Park tomorrow, May 10 at 1 PM as both teams remain undefeated in the tournament.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com and Tournament Central.