Oilers Fall in Slugfest

Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team dropped a pair of games on Friday, April 12 at the hands of the Walsh Cavaliers. The Oilers lost the first game 13-9 and then were blanked in the nightcap, 9-0. With the two losses, Findlay falls to 10-18 overall and 4-12 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) while Walsh improves to 17-15 and 10-6 in the league.

Game 1 Box Score (L 13-9)

With winds blowing towards right-center, the first contest of the day was a slugfest that saw 12 extra-base hits.

Walsh got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo-homerun and a two RBI triple to take a 3-0 lead. Findlay answered in the bottom of the inning when sophomore Ryan O'Malley drilled a three-run homerun to left field to tie the game and two batters later, freshman Alex Foulks hit a solo bomb over the left field fence.

In the fourth, the Cavaliers used two doubles and a single to plate two runs and regain the lead at 5-4. Again, the Oilers had the answer. After an error started the inning, O'Malley singled to put two runners on. With two outs, Foulks singled to tie the game and after Casey Gould was hit by a pitch, senior Derrick Herd singled to plate two runs and put Findlay ahead 7-5.

After two scoreless innings, Walsh took the lead back in the seventh when slugger Andrew Czech tied the league lead with his tenth home run of the season, a grand slam. Trailing 9-7, the Oilers, again, got even in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Austin Rawlins drilled a two-run home run with one out to tie the game.

The game remained tied until the top of the ninth when Walsh scored four runs that, for the first time in the game, would go unanswered.

Findlay finished with nine runs on ten hits, made no errors, and left five runners on base. Walsh scored 13 runs on 13 hits and made two errors while leaving six on base.

Senior Alex Harter started on the hill for Findlay and tossed six innings, allowing nine runs on 11 hits. However, freshman Trey Bame, now 2-4 on the year, would take the loss after coming into the came in the eighth. He threw 1.1 innings and allowed four runs on two hits while striking out two.

Foulks, Herd, Rawlins, junior Sam Shelt Palm, and O'Malley each had multiple hits in the game. O'Malley had three RBI and two runs scored while Foulks had two RBI and two runs scored.

Game 2 Box Score (L 9-0)

The second contest was a very different game as the Oilers did not have an answer to the league's best hitting team.

Walsh scored two runs in the first inning, five in the fourth, and two more in the fifth to take control of the second game.

Findlay did not score and had four hits while making three errors. Walsh scored their nine runs on ten hits and made two errors.

Junior Tyler Rendlesham took the loss on the hill. He started and threw 3.2 innings while giving up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits. He walked three and struck out one.

The final two games of the series will be played on Saturday, April 13. Games start at 1:00 pm.