MARIETTA, Ohio — No. 22 ranked Frostburg State University held off a late charge from Marietta College for an 8-5 win Tuesday (March 29) afternoon in a nonconference baseball matchup. The loss drops the Etta Express to 10-7 on the season, while the Bobcats improve to 12-7 overall.
Frostburg State jumped on Pioneer starting pitcher
Jacob Baker (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) for three runs in the first inning. The Bobcats had four hits in the opening frame with Zach Keeler smacking a two-run double to the wall in left centerfield. FSU added another run in the second when Jamaal Windom led off with a double, stole third and scored on a ground out for a 4-0 lead.
Marietta went to the bullpen to start the third inning and brought in
Scott Oberhelman (Washington Twp., N.J./Old Tappan). Frostburg slowly increased the lead with one run in fifth, sixth and eight innings pushing the margin to 7-0. Oberhelman pitched 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on six hits.
Anderson Burgess (2-0) started on the mound for the Bobcats and worked five shutout innings. He scattered five hits and struck out three for the win.
The Pioneers got on the board in the eighth inning without a base hit. Jake Stephens, who took over for Burgess on the mound, hit a batter and then walked a pair loading the bases with one out. Tyler Hoffman was brought on to face pinch hitter
Connor Golden (South Charleston, W.Va./Charleston Catholic) and walked him on four straight pitches plating MC's first run of the game. Hoffman retired the next two batters to get out of the inning with a 7-1 lead.
Doubles from KJ Hockaday and Connor Cooper extended Frostburg's advantage to 8-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Eric White (North Royalton, Ohio/North Royalton) reached on a one-out single and then
Joey Begany (Sheffield Village, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) walked and
Chris Petrucci (Farmington, W.Va./Notre Dame) singled to load the bases for
Tim McCoy (Willoughby, Ohio/St. Ignatius). McCoy crushed the 2-1 offering from Hoffman over the right field wall for a grand slam cutting the deficit to three, 8-5.
After
Greg Peffley (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) singled, Frostburg again went to the bullpen and brought in relief ace Nick Huff. Golden greeted Huff with an infield single bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. But back to back ground outs ended the rally and the game. Huff notched his fourth save of the season.
Baker (0-1) worked two innings and was charged with four runs on five hits. Junior
Mitch McNabb (Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready) pitched the final 1.2 innings and gave up one run on two hits.
McCoy led the Pioneers with three hits in four at bats. He had a double to go along with the grand slam.
Marietta hosts Ohio Wesleyan University for a single nine-inning game on Wednesday (March 30). First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. at Don Schaly Stadium.
Fans can follow the Etta Express year around at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
