GREENSBURG, Pa. — Frostburg State’s pitching staff has the lowest earned run average in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), and it showed why on Wednesday.
The Bobcats (25-6) threw seven scoreless innings against No. 19 Seton Hill, and got just enough offense for a 3-2 upset victory, extending their winning streak to 17 games.
It also extends a three-year streak with at least one win over a ranked opponent.
“We knew ahead of time, we were coming into a really hostile environment, really good team,” FSU head coach Anthony Williams said. “One of the best in the region. They don’t lose here at home a whole lot. We knew it was going to be a tough place to play. Midweek road games, anything can happen. So I was just really proud of the fight in our guys.”
Frostburg’s 3.77 ERA was tied for seventh in Division II with Colorado Mesa as of Monday.
Kamden Sowers started and allowed one earned run on four hits with no walks and a strikeout over two innings.
Bryce Bauer, Branden Brown and John Smith each tossed a scoreless frame.
Ty Morris entered in the sixth and went nine up and nine down on 29 pitches.
“Our pitchers, it was really an outstanding performance by them,” Williams said. “Just passing the baton mentality for our guys. Ty Morris was awesome, three innings of scoreless ball. Kept his pitch count down so we could use him this weekend.”
Joey Serafin came in as the closer in the ninth.
The Griffins (25-7) loaded the bases with one out, but Serafin struck out the final two batters to seal the win.
“When it got a little hairy, bases loaded, gets two back-to-back strikeouts,” Williams said. “Throw a 3-2 slider with two outs and the bases loaded. Those are scenarios you think about in the backyard as a little kid. Just awesome to see him have the confidence.”
Seton Hill scored the game’s first two runs on a passed ball in the first and a Mason Metz RBI knock in the second.
With two on in the top of the third, Drew Jourdan hit a ground ball past third for a two-run single to even the score.
In the top of the sixth, Konner Pittman pinch hit with runners on the corners.
The Allegany College alum grounded into a double play, but Ryan Bouma scored from third.
Pittman slashed .390/.460/.544 with 71 hits and 55 RBIs last year for the Trojans and led ACM in batting average and was a first-team All-Region 20 selection.
It ended up being the winning run, as Frostburg was retired in order across the final three frames.
“You gotta take what you can get,” Williams said of the offense. “If you make quick outs on soft contact against good arms, you’re gonna make it really easy for them. Our approach is always grind out at-bats and not be up there free swinging all the time. We have to be a team that has a high on-base percentage.”
The Bobcats left seven runners on, including the bases loaded twice.
The Griffins stranded six runners, but didn’t leave more than two until the ninth.
Frostburg’s 17-game win streak is the second-longest in program history.
The 1984 squad won 22 in a row and reached the school’s first NCAA tournament in Division III.
“I think about it more now that people keep asking me about it,” Williams said of the streak. “Which I understand, it’s awesome and I’m really proud of the guys. But it’s really a byproduct of just consistent preparation day in and day out.”
The Bobcats travel to Washington, Pennsylvania, to face Wheeling for a four-game conference series beginning on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Cardinals (24-8) are second in the MEC with a 10-2 mark, trailing Frostburg’s 15-1 record.
“I’m just really excited that we had this type of atmosphere and environment going into a big series with Wheeling,” Williams said. “That’s just going to fire our competitive juices up. It’s easy to get complacent when you’ve won a bunch of games in a row, but we’ve really fought hard against it.”