Schiltz & Walker Power Frostburg Past Ramapo; Bobcats Advance To Face Cortland

More news about: Frostburg State

APPLETON, Wisc. – Seniors Nick Walker and Bennett Schiltz posted impressive numbers at their respective positions to help carry Frostburg past Ramapo and into a rematch with Cortland later this afternoon.
 
Walker had three hits and Schiltz allowed just two earned runs on the mound as the second-ranked Bobcats defeated Ramapo, 5-2, in an elimination game in the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship, Monday morning.
 
Three days ago, FSU (43-8) and RC (33-16) played in the championship's opening game, however, today's contest served as the season-finale for the Roadrunners.
 
Meanwhile, the win lifts Frostburg into a rematch with Cortland later this afternoon. The contest will start roughly 50 minutes following the conclusion of game 10 of the championship which began at 2:10 pm (CT) this afternoon. The Red Dragons currently sit at 2-0 in the championship and the Bobcats will have to defeat Cortland twice to advance out of pool A. For a complete bracket and schedule visit www.NCAA.com.
 
"We are excited to have the opportunity to play Cortland again. Survive and advance is the name of the game here today," said head coach Guy Robertson. "We don't want to go home yet and these guys understand that. We are going to scratch and claw until they kick us out of here."
 
Walker handed the Bobcats an early 1-0 cushion over Ramapo when he dropped a home run over the centerfield fence in the top of the second inning. His eighth bomb of the season cleared the 385 ft. sign and landed in the Ramapo bullpen.
 
Frostburg added to its lead with three runs in the sixth and one more in the ninth.
 
Senior Ricky Castro led off the sixth with a double to left center, senior Zach Weiss singled to the shortstop and Walker reached first on a bunt to load the bases. Senior Ricky Brady plated Castro with an RBI ground out and sophomore J.T. Tipton singled home both Walker and Weiss for a 4-0 lead.
 
In the ninth, junior Jamal Windom reached on an infield error, moved to third on a single from freshman Greg Schneider and scored on a wild pitch as FSU's lead swelled to 5-0.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Ramapo's Brandon Berger hit a two-run homer to left field that cut Frostburg's advantage to 5-2. However, Bobcat junior Nick Huff came on to record a double play and end the game. It was Huff's sixth save of the season and second against Ramapo this postseason. His 0.2 inning, no-hit effort moved him into second in a single-season in saves.
 
Walker finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, while Tipton drove in two runs and Brady posted two hits.
 
However, Schiltz's effort on the mound improved his overall record to 10-1 and the All-American moved into a tie for third in the single-season record books for wins in a season. He tossed 8.1 innings, struckout five and held RC to just two runs. Prior to the ninth frame, Schiltz held Ramapo to just four hits over the first eight innings.
 
"He (Schiltz) proved to you today why he's one of the best pitchers in the country," noted Robertson. "Another gutty performance and he's just been awesome all year."
 
I'm very proud of the guys today. It was a good, all-around team effort and we are happy to be moving on," added Robertson.
 
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Nick Walker … On his home run
"I was just looking for a ball over the plate to be honest, and I just wanted to put a good swing on it. I honestly thought he caught it (outfielder). Then I saw the umpire give the signal and I was lucky he didn't catch it."
 
Bennett Schiltz … On his pitching effort
"I was trying to throw strikes and I was attacking with everything. I was able to throw all of my pitches for strikes."