On Friday, Feb. 13, the Ashland University baseball team traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, to take on the Frostburg State Bobcats.
The Eagles entered the game looking for a win to start the series, and it looked like they may have had one. But a late rally in the bottom of the ninth helped lead the Bobcats to a 3-2 walk-off victory.
Through the first four innings, the two sides were locked in a 0-0 tie.
In the top of the fifth, with two outs, the Eagles finally broke through with an RBI single, bringing a runner screaming around the bases home to score.
Up 1-0, the Eagles were unable to tack on another run as the Bobcats recorded the final out of the inning. Still, grabbing the lead in the middle innings was enough to seize momentum.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats put one runner on base, then another, but the Eagles prevented any damage. Three outs later, it remained a one-run game. The Eagles took out starting pitcher Drew Becker, who recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just four hits through six innings of action.
Heading into the seventh, the Eagles, riding the high of escaping the sixth-inning jam, added another run to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Bobcats responded with a run in the seventh, making it 2-1. They nearly added two more in the eighth with runners on second and third, but clutch pitching kept the score in Ashland's favor.
With the game on the line in the ninth, yet again, the Bobcats made things difficult. They put runners on first, second and third with no outs, before smacking a ball into the right-field gap, bringing home two runners to win the game, 3-2.
The loss drops the Eagles to 1-3 on the season.
As the Eagles look to digest Friday's loss, it's a quick turnaround. They'll suit up for a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 14, against the Bobcats, with first pitch set for noon EST.
