Findlay Earns Season Split With Hillsdale
Findlay, OH – The University of Findlay baseball tied last season's win total on Wednesday, April 20 with a split vs. Hillsdale College. The Oilers are now 13-18 overall and 6-10 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.
Game 1 (W 5-3) Box Score Video Replay
Hillsdale got ahead early as they scored two runs in the first and a single run in the third off starter Mark Delas. The Orange and Black finally answered in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Sophomore Pete Burkett began the inning with a single and was followed by a single from senior Kris Hayward. Sophomore Troy Merriman then laid down a sac bunt but the pitcher sailed the ball over the first baseman's head. Burkett scored on the play and the Oilers had runners on second and third with no outs. A groundout plated Hayward and a sac fly from freshman Brian Cappiello tied the game 3-3.
Findlay then snagged the lead in the bottom of the sixth when, with two outs, sophomore Christion Smith smoked a double to right. Burkett then singled and Hayward walked to load the bases. Sophomore Troy Merriman delivered the game winning hit, a single to left field, and scored Burkett and Merriman putting Findlay up 5-3.
Delas got the Chargers out 1-2-3 in the seventh to end the game and the Oilers picked up win number 13.
Burkett finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and freshman Derrick Herd also picked up two hits.
Merriman had two RBI's on one hit and scored a single run.
Delas (3-2) got the win on the hill as he pitched a complete game and allowed just three runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out six.
Game 2 (L 14-6) Box Score Video Replay
The second game went a different way as the best offensive team in the GLIAC capitalized on their scoring opportunities to secure a 14-6 final score.
Hillsdale scored a single run in the first and then put up five in the third to take a 6-0 lead. That lead increased with a single run in the fourth and four in the fifth.
Trailing 11-1 in the sixth, Cappiello delivered an RBI single scoring Hayward. Later in the inning, Cappiello scored on a wild pitch to get the score to 11-3.
Three more runs came in the seventh when, with one out, the Oilers loaded the bases. Senior Eric Riha picked up an infield single to score Jordan Garcia. A walk and fielder's choice plated two more runs and gave the Oilers six runs.
Another run for Hillsdale in the ninth would end the scoring as the Chargers would take the game 14-6.
Due to a mix-up in the lineup card, Austin Rodesky got the start on the hill and walked his one and only batter. That runner scored and the Oilers never tied or took the lead, thus Rodesky gets the loss and falls to 5-5 on the year.
Alexander Theiss, the scheduled starter, pitched two and two thirds innings and allowed five runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Pete Burkett picked up two more hits in the second game giving him four on the day while Brian Cappiello had yet another multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 in game two with two RBI and two runs scored.
In the long game, a total of 24 players saw the field for the Oilers.
The Orange and Black will be on the field next as they play host to Grand Valley State University on Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24.