Oilers Come Up Short In Opening Games
The University of Findlay baseball team fell to Bellarmine University in their first two games of the season on Saturday, Feb. 23 in Louisville, Ky.
In game one, the Oilers scored their first run of the season and took the lead in the fourth when Blake Schmenk trotted home on a Victor Migliore sacrifice fly.
After tacking on two more runs in the sixth and seventh, Findlay was unable to close out the game, giving up four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the 4-3 loss.
Schmenk led the Oilers with two of the team's three hits in the game with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
Preston Zachrich pitched six scoreless innings for the Oilers and struck out six before giving up three earned runs in the seventh.
In game two, the Oilers got on the board early when Schmenk scored his third run of the day on a Jon Shollenberger single in the top of the first.
After giving up the lead and trailing for most of the game, Findlay was able to tie the score at two in the sixth when Reid Rothenbuhler scored on a Dylan Cintula sacrifice fly. However, Bellarmine would once again show late inning heroics breaking the tie for the win in the bottom of the eighth.
Derek Draper pitched five innings and struck out seven for the Oilers. The two Bellarmine runs in the first inning where both unearned.
The Oilers will try to pick up their first win of the season tomorrow when they wrap up their four-game series against Bellarmine in another doubleheader starting at noon.