Oilers Plate 14 Runs in Season-Opener | Split with Urbana
Chillicothe, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team opened up their 2020 campaign with a trip to Chillicothe, Ohio for a pair of games against Urbana University on Saturday, Feb. 22. The games were played at the home of the Chillicothe Paints, VA Memorial Stadium. Findlay was the home team in the opener and won by a score of 14-3 but then, as the road team in the nightcap, lost 6-5. The Oilers are now 1-1 to open the year while Urbana's record moves to 1-4.
The Blue Knights plated a run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead, but that lead did not last long.
In the bottom of the second, Findlay freshman Nate Brooks delivered with his first collegiate hit, an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. After a single by junior Tyler Archambeau, senior Jordan Williams delivered with a third consecutive single to plate Brooks and give the Oilers their first lead of the year.
Findlay extended that lead in the third on a two-RBI double by Brooks. The game was put out of reach in the fourth when the Orange and Black used five hits to score four runs and take a commanding 8-1 advantage.
The Oilers added three runs in the fifth on the strength of an RBI triple by senior Austin Rawlins and scored three more in the sixth to end the game.
In total, Findlay plated 14 runs on 17 hits and did not commit an error.
Sophomore Ryan Mohr got the win on the hill as he threw six innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out four. Freshman Tyler Trammel came in for the final inning of work and recorded one strikeout.
Junior Tyler Burley led the Oilers offense with three hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Freshman Cam Farrar, junior Ryan Johnson, senior Casey Gould, Brooks, Archambeau, and Williams all recorded two hits. Farrar had two RBI and two runs scored in his collegiate debut while Brooks, also playing his first games in college, led the team with three RBI and two runs scored.
The Oilers took an early lead in the nightcap when, on the fourth pitch of the game, junior Tyler Burley hit his first homerun of the season, the second of his career.
That lead was quickly erased when the Blue Knights scored five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second, all with two outs.
In the third, junior Ethan St. Clair tripled and later scored with one out to cut into the Urbana lead. Findlay also scored on a balk and a throwing error in that inning to claw back into the game, trailing 5-4.
Urbana added a run in the bottom of the third on a throwing error, increasing their lead to two.
That lead remained until the top of the seventh inning. Findlay's first two batters, Ethan St. Clair and Tyler Burley, reached to start the inning. A groundout plated one run and left a runner on third with two outs, and the Oilers trailing 6-5. Ryan Johnson would ground out to short to end the contest.
Findlay ended the game with five runs on eight hits and two errors while Urbana scored six runs on eight hits and also made two errors.
Tyler Burley had three more hits, giving him six on the day. He had two more RBI and two runs scored. Senior Casey Gould had a pair of hits while St. Clair had one hit and two runs scored.
Findlay will wrap up their four-game set with Urbana tomorrow in Chillicothe. That doubleheader will begin at noon.