Baseball Falls to Pioneers in Series Finale Battle

FROSTBURG, Md. - The Frostburg State Baseball team fell in their series finale with Point Park on Saturday, dropping the final two games by scores of 12-4 and 4-3. 
 
Senior Patrick Bauer threw from the bump for Frostburg in game one, quickly doing what he does best, seeing a 1-2-3 appearance and collecting two strikeouts.  Sophomore Jackson Schalick recorded the first hit of the day for either team in the bottom of the first, sending a single to center but was left on base.  Point Park began to show their offense in the top half of the second, putting two runners on right away off an error by the Bobcats.  PPU took advantage of the error, working for three runs off two hits to jump in front 3-0.  Bauer left one Pioneer on moving the game into the bottom of the inning while adding two more K's to his total.
 
FSU got one run back in their offensive half of the second, as junior Jake Holler led off with a single to left, but was throw out as second after a fielder's choice from senior Doyle McNew.  McNew took second off a wild pitch, putting him in scoring position as he was able to come home off an RBI single to left from freshman Manny Hall.  Frostburg had bases loaded with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but the Bobcats were unable to get anymore out of the opportunity, leaving the game at 3-1. 
 
Bauer fanned another pair of Pioneers in the start of the third, as FSU went three-up three-down at the plate.  Point Park recorded another hit in the fourth but stranded the runner on base, as FSU was able to get Hall and sophomore Brian Scott on board, but were also unable to do any damage heading into the fifth.  Bauer picked up another strikeout as he left two more Pioneers on base to leave the game at 3-1.  The Bobcats rallied in the bottom of the inning, taking their first lead of the series.  Redshirt CJ Carmichael singled to left to get things going, as senior Mikey Guy drew a walk to put a pair on for Frostburg.  Sophomore Ryan Bouma was given an RBI single that scored Carmichael, as a deep fly out to right from Holler put both Guy and Bouma in scoring position.  McNew then sent a single to the outfield to score Guy for a tie ball game, as junior Kade Abrisz laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that allowed Bouma to come home for a 4-3 lead for FSU after five. 
 
Bauer recorded one more K before his day ended, as redshirt Nate Vermillion came to the mound in the sixth.  PPU quickly found their rhythm against Vermillion, knocking three singles that led to a 7-4 game that was back in favor of Point Park.  Sophomore Bryce Hendricks took over midway through the inning as the Pioneers tacked on two more to their score in the sixth, sitting the game at 9-4.
 
Frostburg was quiet in their at-bats of the sixth, as the Pioneers kept their bats alive in the top of the seventh, belting four hits, including a homer, to move the game to 12-4.  FSU showed the minimum in their final at-bats of game one, leaving the final score at 12-4. 
 
Senior Jacob McDonald got the nod to throw in game two, striking out the first batter of the game, but PPU carried their momentum over from game one, belting a two run shot in the first inning to jump in front 2-0.  Carmichael and Bouma both recorded a single in the Bobcats' first at-bats of the game but were left on base.  Point Park kept rolling in the second with another bomb over the outfield fence to increase the score to 4-0.  Abrisz then answered for Frostburg, connecting with a solo shot to left field to get FSU on the board for a 4-1 game. 
 
McDonald started to find his rhythm in the third, seeing four batters for three strikeouts.  Both Carmichael and Guy drew back-to-back walks in the bottom of the inning, but a double play sent the game into the fourth.  McDonald left another Pioneer stranded in the start of the inning, as the Bobcats were able to bring the contest to 4-3.  Redshirt Ben Wieman was walked, as Abrisz was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second for FSU.  Scott singled, as the ball was bobbled in the outfield, allowing Wieman to score and Abrisz and Scott to each move up another base.  Schalick then hit a long fly out to center, bringing Abrisz home for a 4-3 game heading into the fifth. 
 
McDonald kept rolling in the fifth, going 1-2-3 from the bump, as after a single from Guy and two more walks the Bobcats found themselves with the bases loaded, but were unable to capitalize.  McDonald left another one on for PPU in the sixth, keeping Point Park quiet for another inning.  Frostburg showed the minimum on offense in the bottom of the inning, sending the game into the final outing.  McDonald trotted out to the mound to finish out the compete game, sending the Pioneers packing with another three-up three-down sequence to give his team one last chance at the plate.  With two outs in the seventh, Hall was hit by a pitch, using his speed to end up on third after another single from McNew.  Redshirt sophomore Tiernan Daly came in to run for McNew, as the bases were loaded once again for Frostburg after Wieman drew another walk.  Point Park changed pitchers to try and get out of the jam, as they forced a ground out for the final out of the game to leave the score at 4-3.
 
Scott, Carmichael, Bouma, and McNew all finished with a pair of knocks on the day, while five other Bobcats recorded one.  Bauer went a strong 5.1 innings in game one, going for nine K's and just one walk in the outing, while McDonald threw his first complete game of the season in game two, giving up just four hits, four runs, and three walks while striking out eight. 
 
With the losses, Frostburg falls to 27-12 on the season, while Point Park improves to 29-11.  The Bobcats are back in action at home on Tuesday, April 22 when they host Seton Hill (Pa.) for a midweek non-conference nine inning single game at 3 PM.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.