Oilers Score 20 for First Time in Six Years | Split vs Cedarville

Oilers Score 20 for First Time in Six Years | Split vs Cedarville

 

Box Score Game 1

Box Score Game 2

Findlay, Ohio – It was a tale of two games on Friday, May 3 when the Findlay baseball team hosted the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets for their final Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series of the season. The Oilers looked like world-beaters in the opener, winning by a final of 20-8, but then dropped a pitchers dual by a score of 3-2 in the nightcap to take a split on the day. After the two games, the Oilers now have a record of 14-27 on the year with an 8-20 mark in league play while the Yellow Jackets move to 13-31 with a 7-19 record in the G-MAC.

After multiple rain delays pushed the game back three hours from the original tart time, Findlay wasted no time getting on the board as they hung five runs, on just two hits, on the Yellow Jackets' starter in the bottom of the first inning.

It did not take long for that five run lead to grow as the Oilers scored single runs in the second and third innings and added three more in the fourth to take a 10-0 edge through four innings.

The game was officially put out of reach in the fifth inning when Findlay sent 14 hitters to the plate and pushed eight runs across to take a jaw-dropping 18-run lead through five innings of play.

Cedarville, which made seven errors in the game defensively, rallied with four runs in the sixth, single runs in the seventh and eighth, and two runs in the ninth, but it was not nearly enough as the Oilers would comfortably take the win in the series-opener.

It was the first time in six seasons that Findlay has put at least 20 runs on the board. The last time was a 24-12 win over Oakland City on March 5, 2013. In that game, Tommy Roush was the Oilers' big threat at the plate, finishing with a 5-for-7 game in which he scored two runs and drove in three.

The nightcap was a very different game as both teams' offenses came to a grinding halt.

The Yellow Jackets plated a pair of runs in the top of the first and added one more in the second while Findlay used a single by sophomore Ryan Johnson in the first to plate their first run.

With the score at 3-1 in favor in Cedarville, freshman AJ Clarey drove a ball to right center that scored junior Casey Gould, who led off the inning with a single. However, Clarey was thrown out trying to stretch that single into a double, ending the inning.

Findlay did get runners on first and second with no outs in the fifth but failed to score and, in the final two innings, were set down in order to end the game.

Senior Mark Delas got the win in game one as he threw 5.2 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked seven while throwing 123 pitches.

Senior Hunter Weis fell to 3-4 this year on the mound as he was saddled with the loss in the day's finale. He threw 1.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Senior shortstop Derrick Herd had a great day at the dish as he picked up three hits in each of the games, putting together a 6-for-8 effort on the day that included four runs scored and one RBI. With those six hits, Herd now has 183 in his career and became just the fourth player in school history to reach the 180-hit plateau. Currently fourth all-time at Findlay in hits, Herd can catch Reid Rothenbuhler (2011-14) for third with three more hits in tomorrow's doubleheader.

Nic Varda had a three-hit game in the opener in which he also scored three runs and drove in a run while sophomore Tyler Archambeau also had three hits.

Despite picking up just one hit in the first game, junior Austin Rawlins had four runs scored and drove in three.

Findlay will wrap up the series and their season tomorrow with the final two games against Cedarville. Those games are set to begin at 2:05 pm with a ceremony honoring the team's seven seniors taking place prior to the start of the first game.