Weirton, W.Va. - West Liberty struggled to slow down a hot Frostburg State lineup in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader, falling 11–1 in a game played at Weir High School.
The Hilltoppers found themselves in an early hole after the Bobcats struck for five runs in the bottom of the second inning. Despite the early deficit, West Liberty showed some life in the bottom half of the frame when Adam Och crossed the plate on a throwing error, cutting the lead to 5–1.
That would prove to be the Hilltoppers' only run of the game, however, as Frostburg State starter Jacob McDonald kept WLU off balance throughout. West Liberty managed just four hits against McDonald, who went the distance and struck out seven in the complete-game win.
Offensively, West Liberty had hits from Och, Jacob Sherman, Ryan Talbert, and Noah Mildren, but couldn't string anything together against the Bobcats' pitching. Starting pitcher Chase Lautner (1–3) took the loss after allowing six runs over 3.1 innings. Mason Bille, Tanner Pelaez, and Mason Chaney combined for the remaining 2.2 innings on the mound.
Game 2
WLU (16-17, 7-8) fell short in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, dropping a 14-5 decision to Frostburg State at Weir High School.
Despite a determined offensive push in the late innings, the Hilltoppers couldn't overcome a huge third inning by the visiting Bobcats, who plated seven runs in the frame to break the game open early.
Frostburg State jumped ahead in the first with a run-scoring single, then exploded in the third with six hits and a grand slam from Jackson Schalick, giving the visitors an 8-0 advantage.
West Liberty responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning as Ryan Talbert put the Hilltoppers on the board with a solo home run to left – his first of the season.
The Black and Gold chipped away again in the fourth, capitalizing on a base hit from Noah Mildren that scored Luke Marsh, cutting the deficit to 8-2. However, Frostburg tacked on six more runs in the fifth, pushing the lead to 14-2.
West Liberty showed some fight down the stretch, scoring three times over the final two innings. Talbert drove in his second run of the day on a fielder's choice in the sixth, and RBI knocks from Marsh and Mildren in the seventh rounded out the scoring.
On the mound, Jacob Watson took the loss for WLU (3-3), while Patrick Bauer picked up the win for Frostburg (6-1) with four solid innings of work.
Mildren finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Talbert added two RBIs and a run scored. Marsh reached base twice and drove in a run.
The Hilltoppers will return to action this weekend with a four-game series at Point Park Saturday and Sunday.
