CHARLESTON, W.Va- The Golden Eagle baseball team split a Sunday afternoon double header against the Bobcats of Frostburg State.
 
Game one saw just four runs scored by both teams with home runs accounting for three of the runs. Ethan Soderna, the Ohio Wesleyan grad transfer, got the nod on the bump in game one. He would find himself working all the way into the seventh inning as he tallied nine strikeouts in game one. Soderna allowed just one extra base hit in the form a first inning one out blast over the right center field wall by Frostburg's first baseman Bryce Jackson.
 
The Golden Eagles were able to respond quickly and erase the one run deficit in the second thanks to a one out RBI single by left fielder Peter Costigan. Just one inning later the Golden Eagles tacked on two more runs off back to back solo shots into right center field by Kyle West and Braxton Boddorf. For West, it marked his fourth home run of his stellar freshman campaign. Boddorf's extended his hit streak to six games and was his first of the 2022 season.
 
Both offenses went dormant for the rest of the contest with no team adding another run. Soderna was pulled after going six plus innings of work striking out nine and allowing six baserunners. He worked himself out of a huge jam in the top of the fourth inning by recording a huge strikeout with the bases loaded and then forcing a groundout by Frostburg's Duda to end the threat.
 
Charleston would hang on and claim game one with Cole Peshl coming in to slam the door in the seventh and first save of the season.
 
Game two saw a much different game from both sides. The Bobcats tallied eight runs in the game while Charleston could only muster six.
 
Frostburg got on the board early once again thanks to a solo blast by Bryce Jackson in the first inning. The Golden Eagles responded well in the bottom half of the inning as Jordan Bailey singled to lead off the ball game and was brought home by a Kyle West double down the left field line.
 
Starting pitcher for the Golden Eagles, Drew Beckner, worked just two innings while giving up four runs, on four hits with three of those being earned runs and walking two. Jackson Mandela came on in relief of Beckner in the third with the bases loaded and nobody out. He was unable to get out of the jam and gave up two earned runs of his own in the inning. The five run third inning by the Bobcats would be the difference maker in game two.
 
Despite the deficit, Charleston continued to claw back into the game. They responded once again in the bottom of the third inning with back-to-back sacrifice flies off the bat of Kyle West and Braxton Boddorf. It would be the only runs that Charleston would muster in the inning. Despite a single to left field by Drew Klaserner which would have plated catcher Tyler Dellerman and kept Golden Eagles run train going if not for a sniper in left field that tripped up Dellerman at third base.
 
Frostburg added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning from an RBI single by Chase O'dell and a wild pitch by which later brought around O'dell.
 
Again, the never say die attitude of the Golden Eagles prevailed but to no avail. They would plate three more runs in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI groundout by Drew Klaserner and another RBI groundout by Peter Costigan. Jack Reisenweber tripled home pinch runner Brayden McCallister who came on to run for pinch hitter Clay Hale, who reached on a two out walk.
 
On the bump Campbell Spradling was credited with one and a third innings while giving up three hits, three walks, and two runs, one of those being earned. Robby Shepherd came in in the top of the fifth inning and worked two and two thirds innings while striking out five and giving up just one hit.
 
Charleston would go quietly in the last two innings and suffer their first defeat in nine games.
 
The Golden Eagles will return to action on March 28 for a for another double-header against MEC North Division opponent Fairmont State.