Cougars Claw Back with Grit and Firepower to Reach Region 20 DII West Finals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Allegany College of Maryland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|
Frederick Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hagerstown Community College | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
|
Frederick Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | X | 6 | 11 | 0 |
Facing elimination not once but twice on Sunday, the Frederick Community College Cougars baseball team showed why they are the number one seed in a pair of must-win games at home, forcing a winner-takes-all showdown against Hagerstown CC on Monday at noon.
In the day's opening game, the Cougars squared off against the #4 seed Allegany College of Maryland in a tightly contested pitchers' duel. Trailing 1-0 heading into the seventh inning, Frederick remained calm but locked in. William Gisriel delivered a clutch RBI single to bring home Jacob Downey and tie the game. One inning later, Cooper Harris came through with another timely single, scoring Andrew Varga and giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead. That slim advantage held, thanks to a combined effort on the mound from Ethan Duff, who struck out seven over six innings, and Tyler Haupt, who earned the win with three shutout innings in relief.
With little time to rest, the Cougars then took the field for their second elimination matchup, this time against the #3 seed Hagerstown CC Hawks. Hagerstown struck early, building a 3-0 lead by the fourth inning. But Frederick's offense, dormant for six frames, erupted in the seventh. Downey laced a two-run single to cut the deficit to one, and Luis Perez Alfaro followed with an RBI hit to tie the game at 3-3. The Cougars struck again in the eighth, with Harris drawing a bases-loaded walk to put them ahead, followed by a two-run double from Downey that gave Frederick a commanding 6-3 lead. Joseph Serafin sealed the deal with four dominant innings of no-hit relief, striking out eight to earn the win.
Now, after back-to-back nine-inning battles, the top-seed Cougars will meet Hagerstown again in a winner-take-all match-up on Monday, May 12, at noon at home. The winner will advance to face Anne Arundel CC Riverhawks in the NJCAA Region 20 DII Championship Series on May 16–17.