Oilers Win First Divisional Contest
Canton, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team traveled to Walsh University for their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) North Division matchup of the season on Saturday, April 7. Due to a snow-covered field, Saturday's game, which was originally scheduled to be a double-header, was changed to a single, nine-inning affair, a game the Oilers won by a score of 11-5. With the win the Oilers improve to 16-5 overall and 9-2 in league play while the Cavaliers fall to 14-12 overall and have a 7-6 mark in the G-MAC.
Findlay finished the game with 11 runs on 17 hits while Walsh scored their five runs on 13 hits. The Oilers committed just one error while the Cavs were victims of five errors.
The Cavs got on the board in the first after a leadoff double came around to score, giving the home team an early advantage. The Oilers, who loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and failed to score, tied the game in the third after a pair of hits allowed freshman Tyler Burley to hit a sac fly, picking up an RBI and making the game 1-1.
After a single run allowed in the fifth, Findlay took their first lead in the sixth inning when freshman Ryan O'Malley and freshman Ethan St. Clair each single with runners on to give Findlay a 3-2 lead through six innings of play.
The Oilers added two more in the seventh inning and, after three runs by Walsh in the seventh, scored another pair of runs in the eighth.
Leading 7-5 with one inning to play, the Orange and Black plated four runs to extend their lead to six runs and help secure the series opening win.
Junior Nic Varda had a three-hit day while scoring a run and picking up an RBI while St. Clair, Casey Gould, Derrick Herd, Austin Rawlins, Troy Merriman, and Ryan O'Malley all had two hits each. St. Clair and Herd each had a double and two RBI while Gould, Merriman, and O'Malley each scored two runs. Tyler Burley had a pair of sacrifice flies and finished with two runs scored and two RBI.
Colin Gossard took a no-decision in his sixth start of the season as he tossed 6.2 innings and allowed five earned runs on 12 hits. He walked two and struck out five and allowed a pair of home runs.
Alexander Theiss, who missed the first part of the season due to injury, picked up a win in his first appearance. He threw one inning and did not allow a run.
Findlay will be back in action tomorrow with a double-header against Walsh that begins at 1:30pm.