WASHINGTON, Pa. – It took five innings, but eventually the potent Frostburg State offense got going.
The second-ranked Bobcats rallied past eighth-ranked Shenandoah for a 7-2 win and stayed alive in the 2015 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional, early Friday afternoon.
FSU (39-7) entered the SU (28-10-1) matchup averaging over eight runs and 11 hits per contest, but Hornet starter Ryan Mossman limited the Bobcats to just one hit over the first five innings.
That all changed in the sixth frame when Frostburg evened the score at 2-2 and plated five runs in the decisive eighth inning.
Sophomore J.T. Tipton started things off in the sixth when he was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Freshman Greg Schneider roped a triple to right center field that scored Tipton and narrowed the gap to 2-1. Senior Ricky Castro then even the contest at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Schneider to score.
After a scoreless seventh inning, Frostburg earned the win in the eighth with five runs. Schneider reached base on a fielder's choice and eventually scored the game-winning run on a Weiss single through the left side.
Castro slid under a tag at home plate for a 4-2 lead and Weiss scored on a wild pitch for a 5-2 cushion. Senior Lane Farmer singled home the final two runs with a shot to right field. Seniors Ricky Brady and Nick Walker scored on the play.
"This was a big comeback win for us and hopefully that will be the momentum shift we need," said head coach Guy Robertson. "Hopefully it will carry into tonight."
Junior Nick Huff earned the win after tossing the final two innings in relief of senior starter Clayton Freimuth. Huff allowed just one hit and walked one for his second win of the season. Freimuth pitched 7.0 innings and allowed just one earned run. He struckout six and scattered just five hits.
"Gutsy performance," added Robertson about his starter Freimuth. "Yesterday we talked about how Bennett Schultz came out and set a nice tone despite not being able to get through that game. We came out today and got another gutsy performance from the big left hander (Freimuth) we had on the mound. That's a heck of a job out of him."
The victory pushes Frostburg to a matchup with third-seeded Heidelberg tonight at 6:30 pm. The Student Princes have won both their regional games thus far and are 33-12 on the season.
Player Quotes
Greg Schneider … On his RBI triple
"At that point it was getting frustrating because we weren't producing anything. I was able to get ahead in the count and wait on my pitch. He threw me a fastball and I just hit it."
Zach Weiss … On his RBI single in the eighth
"I was just looking for a ball to drive and I felt bad after not coming through yesterday. Glad I got a second chance today."