FROSTBURG, Md. – The 12^th-ranked Frostburg baseball team came up just short in the 2016 CAC Tournament Championship on Saturday despite a strong, ninth-inning rally. Frostburg, the CAC regular-season champions, fell to rival Salisbury 9-8.
 
The Bobcats (25-10) entered the ninth and final inning down 9-5 after trailing the entire game.
 
Junior JT Tipton started the ninth with a single to left field before senior Jamal Windom reached on a fielder's choice and Tipton advanced to third on a throwing error by the Salisbury (24-10) infield.
 
Senior Pat Sines singled up the middle that scored Tipton as Frostburg narrowed the score to 9-6. Senior KJ Hockaday grounded out but scored Windom and junior Brad Garrant singled home Sines as the Bobcats pulled to within one, 9-8.
 
Junior Devin Bell was intentionally walked that put the tying run on base for Frostburg. However, SU reliever Ian Scheidemann registered the final out to preserve the win.
 
After a scoreless first inning from both teams, 17^th-ranked Salisbury scored four runs in the second for a 4-0 cushion. Kyle Goodwin highlighted the inning with a two-run single.
 
Salisbury scored one more run in the fourth before Frostburg broke onto the scoreboard when senior Zach Keeler hit a two-run home run that scored Bell and cut into the SU lead 5-2.
 
Salisbury again surged to a four-run lead with a solo home run in the sixth for a 6-2 edge.
 
The Bobcats answered with a bomb of their own in the bottom of the frame. Garrant singled through the left side before Bell drilled a pitch over the outfield fence for a two-run homer that made it a 6-4 ballgame.
 
The Sea Gulls hit a pair of solo home runs in the eighth inning before Bell hit a solo home run himself in the bottom of the eighth for an 8-5 score.
 
Salisbury scored its final run in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch, setting up Frostburg's fierce rally in the bottom half of the inning.
 
The championship contest featured plenty of offense as both nationally-ranked teams combined for seven home runs, 22 hits and 11 walks. It could have been worse as the pair of teams also stranded a total of 19 runners.
 
Bell had an impressive afternoon for FSU as he was 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs and two walks. Keeler finished 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a home run. Tipton, Sines and Garrant all finished with two hits.
 
Senior starter Anderson Burgess took the loss after allowing five earned runs in 4.0 innings with five strike outs. Seniors Kyle McCormack and Logan Hunt each fanned one, while sophomore Tyler Hoffman struckout two.
 
Salisbury's Pete Grasso earned the win after tossing five innings and striking out eight.
 
The Bobcats earned their trip to championship contest after thundering past Wesley in an elimination game that started yesterday and concluded this morning. The game was halted in the bottom of the ninth inning with the scored tied at 13-13 following heavy rain.
 
Wesley, which served as the home team via CAC rules, put two runners on in the ninth frame, including one on third, but couldn't score the game-winning run.
 
Frostburg took care of business in the top of the 10^th with an 11-run outburst that sealed a 24-13 victory.
 
Sines scored the first run of the 10^th inning on a wild pitch. Bell tripled home Garrant and Hockaday before Cooper singled home Bell for a 17-13 lead.
 
Cooper added the 18^th run when he scored on a fielding error by the Wesley (20-17) infield.
 
The largest damage of the inning came when Sines doubled home three runs before Garrant crushed a three-run home run to cap the 11-run outburst.
 
Bobcat senior Nick Huff collected the win, his fourth of the season after scattering three hits over the final 3.1 innings.
 
Sines finished 5-for-7 with four RBI, three runs and a double, while Cooper was 4-for-7 with four RBI, four runs scored and a triple. Both Garrant and Bell had three hits, drove in three runs and smacked a home run. Bell also added a double and a triple.
 
Like the championship, the Frostburg/Wesley matchup featured plenty of offense. The contest featured 37 hits, 37 runs and three home runs.
 
Frostburg returns to action this Tuesday when it hosts Washington & Jefferson at 4:00 pm.