Boyertown, PA – Sophomore
TIM STRINGER threw a complete game and struck out 14 batters to lead second-seeded Montclair St. to a 7-2 win over #7 Frostburg St. Friday evening in game 10 of the 2006 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Baseball Regional at Bear Stadium.
Montclair St. advanced to the losers bracket final and will face #3 Kean University at noon on Saturday. Frostburg St. finishes the regional with a record of 2-2 in tournament play. The top-seeded College of New Jersey is in the championship game waiting for the winner of Montclair St./Kean.
Frostburg St. opened the scoring with a run in the second without the benefit of a hit. Art Barone walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second when Ryan Webb was hit by a pitch. Andrew Speights grounded into a double play allowing Barone to move to third and after Allen Peake was hit by a pitch, the Bobcats executed a double steal with Barone swiping home for the first run of the game.
Montclair St. tied the score in the bottom of the second when
ANDREW VICARO ripped a one-out double down the rightfield line. First baseman
LOU POLITAN grounded out to the pitcher allowing Vicaro to take third, but Freddy Foshay stranded him getting
SCOTT EVANGELIST on a grounder to second.
The Bobcats took another brief lead in the top of the fourth, scoring once on two hits and a pair of errors. Webb hustled out a high pop fly to shallow right and made it to second when the ball was dropped. Speights followed with an RBI-single and FSU had a 2-1 lead entering the home fourth.
The lead didn't last long as MSU sent seven batters to the plate and scored four times on three hits and a walk, the big blow a two-run double off the bat of
KEVIN CUOZZI. Junior
ROB BOWNESS led off the inning with a bunt single, and a walk and an error loaded the bases with no one out. Politan drove home a run with a fielder's choice groundout, and Cuozzi's double followed an Evangelist run-scoring single.
Stringer settled into a groove when he returned for the fifth. After retiring Brett Mitchell on a bunt attempt to third base, Stringer struck out 11 of the last 15 batters including all three batters in both the sixth and seventh innings.
The Red Hawks posted single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Vicaro singled and scored to open the sixth and
BRIAN BUTLER did the same in the seventh.
Barone grounded out to start the Bobcats' ninth and Stringer followed with back-to-back punchouts to end it.
Evangelist led the Red Hawks' attack with three hits in four at-bats, and
ROBERT CLARK scored twice without a hit as MSU avenged its first loss of the regional to the Bobcats.
