Oilers Open Baseball Season at Prasco Park
Mason, Ohio – After the 2020 season ended abruptly last year, the Oilers finally got back on the diamond on Friday, Feb. 26 in Mason, Ohio at Prasco Park. Findlay dropped the season-opener at the hands of the Ohio Dominican Panthers by a score of 5-1. The game was played as a non-conference contest.
The first batter of the season was senior Ethan St. Clair who ripped a single through the right side of the infield. After a pair of walks to load the bases, senior Ryan O'Malley followed a strikeout with a sac fly to right field, plating St. Clair and giving Findlay a lead in their first game in 353 days. Another walk loaded the bases, but all three runners were stranded on a fly ball to right field, caught in foul territory.
Ohio Dominican answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, scoring their first run of the year on a wild pitch.
Findlay had just one hit over the next four innings of play while, in the fourth, the Panthers took a 2-1 lead on an RBI double
In the sixth, the Oilers stranded a pair of runners in the top half of the inning and ODU put some distance between themselves and Findlay, scoring a pair of runs to take a 4-1 lead. One more run in the seventh by the Panthers made the score 5-1.
In the game, Findlay finished with a single run on five hits and made one error while Ohio Dominican scored five runs on seven hits and did not commit an error.
St. Clair, O'Malley, senior Tyler Burley, sophomore Cam Farrar, and junior Christian Orr all had hits in the game for Findlay. Farrar's leadoff double in the third was the lone extra base hit of the day for the Orange and Black.
Junior Anthony Kyle took the loss on the hill as he tossed four innings in the season-debut. He allowed two runs on two hits, walked three, and struck out five. Junior Bailey McCord, senior Jordan Bekier, and freshman Jaden Bloomer all saw action out of the Oilers' bullpen.
Findlay is back in action tomorrow, Feb. 27, for a double-header. The first game against Notre Dame will be at 10:30 am with another game against Ohio Dominican to follow. All games can be seen on the Great Midwest Digital Network.