February 25th, 2024 by WCBC Radio
Frostburg State Baseball team took a walk-off over Clarion on Saturday afternoon, taking the game with a 6-5 win in the 10th inning. Sophomore Joe Pippin got the start on the mound for Frostburg, striking out a batter in the first, but Clarion was able to get things going early on, striking for two hits and one run for a 1-0 lead. In FSU's first at-bats, junior Randy Steen was able to connect on a leadoff single but was thrown out at second as the Golden Eagles held their advantage. Pippin was able to strikeout three batters over the next two innings, as freshman Brian Scott singled to second base to kick things off offensively for the Bobcats in the bottom of the third, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from junior Christian Shertzer. Steen brought Scott home on a single to tie the game, then proceeded to steal second, as he was then sent home on an RBI double to right field by senior Ethan Kiple for a 2-1 FSU lead. Clarion stayed quiet in the fourth, as junior Patrick Bauer came into pitch, getting three quick outs. The Bobcats added to their lead in the bottom half of the frame, as junior Mikey Guy hit a leadoff single to center field, advanced to second on an error by the Golden Eagles, and came around to score on an RBI single from freshman Ryan Bouma. Clarion continued to struggle on offense as Bauer and freshman Bryce Hendricks combined kept the Golden Eagles hitless. With Frostburg still leading 3-1, both teams saw a quiet seventh inning offensively, before Clarion scored three runs in the top of the eighth to jump ahead 4-3. FSU was unable to get anything going in the eighth, forcing them into the ninth fighting to stay alive. Bouma recorded a leadoff single to shortstop, with freshman Tiernan Daly coming into pinch run. With now a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth, Daly stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on an error by Clarion to tie things at four and send the game into extra innings. The Golden Eagles wasted no time in the top of the tenth, getting a batter on board and sending him home to take a 5-4 lead. Junior Nate Vermillion was then able to work around further trouble to get the three outs, stranding three runners on base for Clarion. Down to FSU's final at-bats, Kiple and junior Danny Estrada reached base after being hit by a pitch and receiving a walk, respectively, as both advanced a base on a wild pitch. With runners now on second and third, senior Cy Probst was intentionally walked to load the bases, as senior Lucas Gulczynski came into pinch hit, ripping a single up the middle to score both Kiple and Estrada, allowing Frostburg to walk it off with a 6-5 win. Bouma led FSU on offense, going 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI, as Steen finished with two hits and Gulczynski led the team with two RBI. The Bobcats pitching staff finished with 10 combined strikeouts, as Vermillion was credited with the win for his first of the season. With the victory, Frostburg moves to 2-3 on the season, as Clarion falls to 1-6. The Bobcats remain in Cary to next face Kutztown Sunday, February 25 at 10 AM. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.
