WASHINGTON, Penn – A big rally in the fourth inning did not hold up on Friday for the Heidelberg University baseball team as they fell 9-6 to second-ranked Frostburg State. The Student Princes took a 6-1 lead after scoring all six of their runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bobcats were able to out-slug the Berg as the game wore on. With the loss, Heidelberg will face La Roche tomorrow at noon in an elimination game and will need to win twice to capture the Mideast Regional Championship.

Frostburg State struck first in the game, getting a run off of Heidelberg starter Sam Ankrom in the top of the first. Ankrom was able to contain the damage though, stranding a runner at second base to end the inning.

Heidelberg stranded five runners on base from the first through third innings and were unable to get into the scoring column headed to the fourth.

With the 1-0 score holding in the bottom of the fourth, the Student Princes began to heat up. A bases loaded walk issued to T.J. Harkness opened up the scoring to tie the game at one. Doug Miller then singled down the right field line to score a pair before Eric Monroe, Derek Hug, and Christian Verde all recorded an RBI hit to push the score to 6-1.

That five-run lead did not last long though, as the Bobcats scored three in the fifth off of two walks and a hit by pitch.

The game continued to have a shift in momentum as the innings wore on. Frostburg score three in the sixth and was able to tack on one in the seventh and one in the eighth as Heidelberg's bats went silent.

The Student Princes were able to get two runners on in the eighth and one in the ninth, but they were not able to make anything of it, falling by a final score of 9-6.

Ben Sniezek took the loss in relief to fall to 1-2 on the season.

Hug led the offense on the day, going 4-for-5 with one run driven in.

UP NEXT

There are now three teams remaining in the NCAA Mideast Regional, with La Roche, Frostburg St. and Heidelberg each having one loss. The Student Princes will face La Roche at noon, with the winner moving on to face Frostburg St. at 3:15 for a winner-take-all Regional Championship Game.