Oilers Bats Come Up Huge In Sweep Against Ferris State
The University of Findlay softball team swept a doubleheader against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Ferris State University on Friday, April 25 at Anderson Field. The Oilers pulled a major comeback victory in the first game winning in extra innings 9-8 while dominating the Bulldogs in the second game 15-5.
In the first game, Tawna Whited picked up the victory on the mound by striking out six hitters in eight innings. Whited contributed two doubles and one run batted in on the offensive end.
Ferris State held an 8-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Oilers caught fire at a clutch time when they sparked a comeback in the last inning beginning with Jackie Messersmith knocking in an RBI double. Then, Tori Allen and Emily Reynolds both added RBI singles to bring the Oilers within three runs. Megan Turner came up to the plate and took care of business by smashing a three-run homerun to tie the game and force extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Courtney Dwyer hit a single to put the Oilers in scoring position. The Oilers claimed the victory when Tori Allen hit an RBI single to bring in Courtney Dwyer for the game-winning run.
Jackie Messersmith finished the game with a triple, a double, an RBI and two runs scored while Morgan Arnold added two singles and one run scored.
In the second game, Bonnie Zappitelli picked up the victory on the mound by striking out four hitters in five innings. Zappitelli contributed a single, one run scored and one run batted in on the offensive end.
The Oilers jumped out to a 12-5 lead through three innings as the Oilers bats were too lethal for Ferris State and the Oilers claimed victory in five innings.
Tori Allen led the offense for the Oilers, finishing the game with three singles, two runs scored and a whopping six runs batted in. Abby Funk also helped pace the offense with two doubles, two runs scored and two runs batted in while Emily Reynolds added three singles and two runs batted in.
Morgan Arnold knocked in three singles and one RBI while Jackie Messersmith added a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Courtney Dwyer finished the game with two singles, three runs scored and an RBI.
The Oilers, who are now 22-15 on the year with a 13-11 mark in GLIAC play, will host GLIAC rival Grand Valley State University in a twilight two-game set on Saturday, April 26 starting at 7 p.m.