FROSTBURG, Md. —West Virginia Wesleyan dropped both ends of a Thursday doubleheader at Frostburg State, falling 8-0 in the opener before the Bobcats were turned back 16-7 in Game 2. Wesleyan collected 14 hits across the two games, including 11 in the nightcap, but Frostburg’s offense produced 26 hits and 24 runs on the day.
In Game 1, Frostburg grabbed control early and never let Wesleyan settle in. The hosts plated two runs in the bottom of the first when Jake Holler delivered a two-run single after back-to-back baserunners and a pair of stolen bases put immediate pressure on the Bobcats.
Frostburg added to the lead in the third. Tanner Cunningham opened the scoring in the inning with a solo home run, and later Logan Helser’s RBI single helped bring home two more runs, one of them unearned, to stretch the advantage to 5-0.
The Bobcats were limited offensively by Frostburg starter Zach Dodson, who fired a complete-game shutout and struck out 15 while allowing only three hits and no walks over seven innings. Wesleyan’s only hits in the opener came from Grant Shumaker, Matthew Neach, and Malik Wood.
Wesleyan threatened in the top of the seventh when Shumaker and Matthew Neach opened the inning with singles, but Frostburg worked out of the jam to finish off the shutout.
Austin Mann took the loss for Wesleyan after allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits in four innings. Alex Hernandez worked the final two frames, and Frostburg tacked on three more runs in the sixth to close out the 8-0 decision. Tanner Cunningham finished 2-for-2 with a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI, while Brian Scott and CJ Carmichael added two hits apiece.
Game 2 opened with more offensive promise for Wesleyan, but Frostburg again struck first with a big first inning. After Brian Scott singled and Tanner Cunningham moved him up with a sacrifice bunt, Frostburg stacked together a double by Jake Holler, an RBI single from Drew Jourdan, a bases-loaded walk to Ryan Bouma, and a sacrifice fly by CJ Carmichael to build a 4-0 lead.
The Bobcats answered in the second when Dylan Neach doubled, Josiah Segura singled, and Isaac Lough drove in Wesleyan’s first run with an RBI single. Wesleyan added another run in the third as Alex Smith singled and Dylan Neach followed with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 4-2.
That was as close as the Bobcats would get. Frostburg responded with two runs in the third, four in the fourth, three in the fifth, and three more in the sixth. Ryan Bouma did major damage in the middle innings, driving in one run with a double in the third and later adding a two-run single in the fourth. Konner Pittman chipped in a two-run pinch-hit single in the fifth, while Landon Marple’s two-run double keyed the sixth-inning surge.
Despite the deficit, Wesleyan showed some late fight in the seventh. Coleman Cross walked and stole second, Shumaker doubled him home, Alex Smith added an RBI double, and Dylan Neach followed with an RBI single. Wesleyan eventually scored five runs in the frame, aided by a Frostburg error and an RBI walk from Malik Wood, before the rally ran out.
Dylan Neach paced the Bobcats in Game 2 by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. Alex Smith also went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs, while Matthew Neach added two hits and Shumaker drove in a run and scored once. Wesleyan finished with 11 hits and five walks in the game.
Drake Long was charged with the loss in Game 2 after Frostburg scored six runs over the first three innings. Anthony Hernandez, Andrew Napoleon, and Bryson Peffer also saw time on the mound for Wesleyan. Frostburg starter John Smith earned the win, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings. Jake Holler scored three times and drove in two, while Frostburg drew 11 walks and finished with 14 RBI in the game.
Wesleyan returns to action Sunday, Mar. 29 when the Bobcats travel to Morgantown for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Fairmont State University at Mylan Park.
