WASHINGTON, Pa. – Frostburg State is starting to feel right at home at Ross Memorial Park. And it's easy to see why.
Frostburg State starter Greg Schneider struckout 10 batters and the top-seeded Bobcats cruised to a 7-1 win over sixth-seeded Washington & Jefferson in the first game of the 2015 NCAA DIII Mideast Regional, Wednesday.
Schneider threw his second complete game of the season and had control from the start. He allowed just four hits over the first seven innings and fanned eight over that stretch.
Meanwhile, the Bobcat hitters scored all seven runs through the first five innings. FSU pounded out 13 hits and jumped on W&J early on.
"The guys are excited but they didn't come here to get just one win," noted head coach Guy Robertson. "This is just the first of several wins that we will need if we are to move on.
Following two quick outs in the first inning, the Bobcats settled down and grabbed a 2-0 lead. Senior Zach Weiss was hit by a pitch and senior Nick Walker singled to center before senior Ricky Brady doubled down the right field line, scoring both Weiss and Walker.
The Bobcats added three runs in the second inning for a 5-0 lead. Senior Zach Keeler led off with a single, senior Lane Farmer singled down the right field line and junior Connor Cooper plated Keeler with an RBI ground out. Junior Jamaal Windom singled to third and later scored on a single from sophomore JT Tipton and senior Ricky Castro capped the frame with a double down the left field line that scored Tipton.
Frostburg added solo runs in the fourth and fifth as its lead swelled to 7-0. Windom singled home Keeler in the fourth, while Keeler singled home Brady in the fifth.
The Presidents (28-16) had four hits in the eighth inning and scored their lone run, but by then, Frostburg (38-6) had the game in hand.
Two weeks ago, Schneider struckout 10 batters in 8.0 innings as Frostburg posted a 5-0 shutout win over the Presidents at Ross Memorial Park. On Wednesday, Schneider earned his eighth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.75.
"I know the guys are happy and we will enjoy this for the rest of the day and then we will move on to either Heidelberg or La Roche tomorrow," added Robertson.
Keeler led the Bobcats at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort with two runs and an RBI, while Brady was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Frostburg scored six runs and registered nine hits on W&J starter Riley Groves.
Frostburg will now play at 3:15 pm on Thursday afternoon against the winner of third-seeded Heidelberg and fourth-seeded La Roche.
Player Quotes
Ricky Brady … On his hitting
"It's always good to score first and we have a pretty good record when we score first. In that first at-bat, I did fall behind 0-2 and I was a little anxious. They had a good pitcher on the mound and they are a good ball club. I just stayed with it and put it in right field."
Greg Schneider … On his pitching
"My arm was a little tired as it's been a long season. But still at the same time, I was getting ahead in the counts. The fastball and curveball were both working and I felt confident. I knew the defense would back me up as well."