W&J POSTGAME INTERVIEWS - Jeff Mountain, Riley Groves, Kyle Smith

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Frostburg State proved why they are ranked No. 2 in the country and earned the top seed in the Mideast Region with a 7-1 win over host Washington and Jefferson at Ross Memorial Park to open up the regional tournament.

The Bobcats (38-6) earned the second win in as many weeks over the Presidents (28-16) behind the right arm of senior Greg Schneider.

"It is huge," Bobcats coach Guy Robertson said. "You can't go in the loser's bracket in a tournament like this. This helps the guys feel more comfortable for the rest of the tournament."

Schneider tossed a complete game, striking out 10 and allowing the one run in the eighth inning, ending his scoreless streak at 16 innings against the Presidents this year.

"My arm was feeling a little tired," Schneider said. "It has been a long season but I was ready for this. My stuff was working today."

Schneider, a University of Pittsburgh transfer and local product out of Thomas Jefferson High School, was able to perform in front of family and friends.

"It is nice for me," Schneider said. "I can have family and friends come and watch. It is great to know they are there and are supporting me."

The Bobcats got to Presidents ace Riley Groves in the first inning, getting the first of their five two out RBIs. After a hit by pitch and single put runners on the corners, senior first baseman Ricky Brady dumped a two-out, two-run double to right field to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.

"It is always good to score first," Brady said. "We have a really good record when we score first. In that at bat I went 0-2. I was a little anxious at first. It was a good pitcher on the mound and I was just trying to stay back on it and dump it into right field."

All game long, Groves struggled to get through the Bobcats order, leaving after only four innings of work, allowing six runs on nine hits.

"Coach (Jeff) Mountain always preaches to stay around the plate," Groves said. "We are taught to stay around the zone and attack the hitters. They (Frostburg State) are a good hitting team and put some defensive swings on the ball and found the holes. Some of them weren't hard hit but I guess that is the way the chips fall in baseball. Some days they are hit right to the defender and the other it gets over their heads."

After falling behind 7-0, the Presidents finally got something going against Schneider, but it was short lived.

Senior Kyle Smith delivered his second hit of the game, an RBI single to right field. On the play, Nick Morton tried to score the second run after the ball was bobbled in right field, but was thrown out at home on the play.

"He (Schneider) had all of his pitches working around the zone," Smith said. "He did the same thing last time against us. We felt confident against him coming into the game. He got in a groove earlier and was able to work the counts and keep us off balanced. We just weren't able to get anything going against him."

Offensively, the Bobcats were led by Brady and Zach Keeler. Brady finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run. Keeler was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.

The Bobcats will play in the winner's bracket tomorrow at 3:15 p.m.

The Presidents will have to fight through the loser's bracket, a situation coach Jeff Mountain says his team is familiar with.

"It is a tough road once you lose the first game," Mountain said. "It is not an easy thing. Things didn't go our way, but I think if we get a key out early, we are in there at the end.

"We have been in this situation before. We have to come out and play our game. We don't need to play perfectly, we just need to play a little bit more crisply."

The Presidents will be the early game tomorrow, beginning at noon.