Oilers Win First Round of G-MAC | Beat Cedarville 5-1
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay softball team kicked off its' postseason on Wednesday, May 3 with a first-round game in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Softball Championship which is being hosted at the Marathon Diamonds in Findlay. The Oilers, seeded fifth, had an afternoon date with the Cedarville Yellow Jackets, seeded fourth, and came away with a 5-1 victory on a windy Iriti Field. That win gives the Oilers a 30-14 record, giving them back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history. Cedarville falls to 22-26 on the year.
In the top of the first, the underdog Oilers benefited from a Yellow Jacket error, putting junior Avery Shepherd on base to begin the game. After a fielder's choice, another error allowed freshman Annika Bredel to reach base, advancing freshman Alexys Antal. A third error allowed both runners to advance and a groundout by senior Caroline Turner sent Antal home, putting Findlay ahead 1-0.
Fast forward to the top of the third inning and Findlay had its' first two batters retired. An error, one of eight made by Cedarville on the day, allowed Turner to reach and yet another error put senior Olivia Carlton on base, as well. A single by senior Kaitlynn Briggs sent Turner home.
Cedarville answered with a single run in the bottom of the third to pull within 2-1, but after a scoreless fourth, the Oilers added on.
Again, the top of the fifth began with two quick outs. Carlton then singled to right and was followed by a walk to Briggs. After a wild pitch, senior Makayla Cowan hit a ball to third. It was mishandled again, allowing Carlton to score.
A two-out single in the sixth by Bredel sent Findlay's final run of the game home and put the Oilers ahead 5-1, the eventual final score.
On the day, the Yellow Jackets outhit Findlay 6-to-5 but fell victim to eight errors, the most errors by any team in the G-MAC this season.
Briggs had a pair of hits, two walks, and an RBI on the day to lead the offense. Freshman Jenna Poulson, Carlton, and Bredel were the other three hits, all of which were singles.
Sophomore Emma Jones picked up the win in the circle, tossing seven strong innings and allowing just one run on six hits to pick up her 15th win of the year. She struck out two.
Findlay will move on to the quarterfinals where they will take on the eighth-seeded Tiffin Dragons which, as the Oilers were upsetting the Yellow Jackets, took down the top seed and two-time defending tournament champion, the Ohio Dominican Panthers. Thae game will be played at 12:30 pm tomorrow, May 4.