Findlay Improves to 6-0 with Sweep of WVWC
Auburndale, Fla. – The University of Findlay baseball team swept a double-header for the second day in a row as they took down the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats in a pair of games on Monday, March 6. The win gives the Oilers a perfect 6-0 record to start the season while West Virginia Wesleyan, a team out of the Mountain East Conference, falls to 0-5.
Game 1 (W 3-2 [8 inn.] | Box Score )
After an extra-inning walk off win in the second game against Barry, the Oilers faced a test again in the first game of the double-header against WVWC. Findlay got down early as they allowed single runs in the second and third innings. Another single run from the Bobcats in the sixth gave the visiting team a 3-0 lead.
Findlay, which did not have a base runner until a fourth-inning single, finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when senior Logan Harrah singled with one out and later scored on an infield single from senior Peter Yorgen.
Trailing 3-1, Findlay needed a pair of runs in the seventh inning to extend the game. Junior Troy Merriman reached on an error with one out and was followed by a single by junior Cameron Johnson. With runners at the corners, sophomore Derrick Herd grounded out to make the score 3-2. Harrah followed with a two-out single that tied the game at 3-3, sending the game to extra innings for the third time of the season.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Findlay started with back-to-back singles from Yorgen and sophomore Jordan Williams. Senior Kevin Schrock came up with runners on first and second and grounded a ball to short. The WVWC shortstop fielded the ball and flipped to third to get the lead runner, but the flip was errant and allowed Yorgen to round third and score, ending the game.
Harrah and Yorgen had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI in the game to lead Findlay's offense.
Getting his first start on the mound was sophomore Mark Delas who pitched five and a third and allowed three runs, just two earned, on two hits. He walked five and struck out a career-high 12 batters. He turned the ball over to senior A.J. Cecil who picked up his GLIAC-leading third win of the season.
Findlay scored four runs on seven hits and made two errors while the Bobcats scored three runs on three hits. They made five errors.
Game 2 (W 6-0 | Box Score )
Riding the confidence of a walk off win in the first game, Findlay came into the second contest and got on the board in the first inning. Harrah led off the game with a walk and advanced on a groundout. Junior Pete Burkett singled to right and was followed by a single from Yorgen that gave Findlay a 1-0 lead.
The Oilers scored another couple of runs in the second inning on a single from senior Miguel Valdez, a triple from junior Josh Schwerer, and a sac fly from Harrah.
Findlay added a single run in the fifth and two more in the seventh to put the game away.
On the mound, sophomore Alex Harter made his first start of the season and dominated the Bobcats through six and two-thirds innings. Harter threw 105 pitches, 70 for strikes, in the game. He scattered seven hits and did not allow a run while walking only two and striking out a career-high 14 batters. That is the most strikeouts for a pitcher in a game under Coach Parrill.
Yorgen, who is hitting .619 through six games this season, had his fifth multi-hit game of the season with a two-for-four performance. He scored a run and picked up his team-high seventh RBI.
Valdez, Merriman, and Schwerer each had two hits in the game to lead the Oilers offense.
Findlay had six runs on 11 hits and did not make an error while WVWC had no runs on seven hits. They did not make an error.
The Oilers will be back on the field on Wednesday, March 8 when they take on Notre Dame College. That game will begin at 9:00am.