Oilers Sweep Storm in Blustery Conditions
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team battled temperatures in the low 40s and 45 mph wind gusts on Sunday, March 28 as they wrapped up their four-game set with a doubleheader against the Lake Erie Storm. After splitting yesterday's doubleheader, the Oilers swept the Storm to win their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) series of the season and improve to 9-10 overall and 7-5 in league play. With the losses, the Storm fall to 3-12 overall and 1-7 in the G-MAC.
Game 1 (W 10-9)
After scoring 27 runs in the second game on Saturday, Lake Erie continued the same momentum on Sunday, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning and three more in the third to take an early 7-0 lead.
Findlay answered with a run in the third and two more in the fourth to make the score 7-3.
The Storm went scoreless in the fourth and fifth but added a pair of runs in the sixth to extend their advantage to 9-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, senior Casey Gould reached on an error to begin the inning and was followed by a single off the bat of sophomore Nate Brooks. Senior Ryan O'Malley then got a ball up into the wind to right field for an opposite field, three-run home run that gave the Oilers the momentum and made the score 9-6. Findlay added another run later in the inning when junior Brandon Emery, who reached on another Lake Erie error, scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Ethan St. Clair.
Junior Bailey McCord came in to pitch the top of the seventh and did not allow a hit, holding the Storm in check and turning the game over to his offense.
Trailing by two in the bottom of the seventh of a seven inning game, the Oilers were down to their final at-bat. Sophomore Cam Farrar began the inning with a double to right field and later scored on a single by Nate Brooks. Ryan O'Malley reached on an error by the third baseman and, after a fielder's choice, sophomore leadoff hitter Cole Kwiatkowski hit an infield single, scoring Brooks and tying the game at 9-9. Senior Tyler Burley then delivered with runners at the corners as he ripped the first pitch of his at-bat into left field to send junior Daniel Fairchild, who entered as a pinch runner, sliding home for the walk off win, the second walk off in as many days for the Oilers.
Ryan O'Malley was the offensive catalyst for the Oilers as he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Brooks finished 2-for-4, as well, with a pair of runs scored and an RBI while Burley was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI.
Sophomore Chase Hopewell started on the hill and struggled as he threw 2.2 innings and allowed seven runs, all earned, on six hits. He walked three and struck out four.
Bailey McCord, who pitched the top of the seventh, picked up his fourth win of the year, the first of two on the day, as he tossed one inning and had a strikeout while not allowing a hit.
Findlay finished with ten runs on ten hits and two errors while the Storm scored nine runs on ten hits and made five costly errors.
Game 2 (W 15-9)
In the series finale, Lake Erie again took a lead in the third with two runs but the Oilers answered with one of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Not to be outdone, the Storm plated five in the top of the fourth to take a 7-1 lead.
As they had done all week, Findlay battled back.
Two runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth pulled the Oilers to within two at 7-5, but two more in the sixth for Lake Erie extended the lead back out to four.
Findlay used three hits to score two runs in the seventh, but it was the eighth inning that proved to be the deciding factor.
McCord pitched a perfect top of the eighth to make way for his offense in the bottom half.
Emery reached on an error to start the inning and advanced on back-to-back bunt singles by Kwiatkowski and Burley. A groundout plated the first run to make the score 9-8 with two runners on.
With two on and one out, Ryan O'Malley blasted a no-doubt, three run shot over the batters eye in centerfield, his second three-run home run of the day, to give the Oilers their first lead of the game at 11-9. Findlay added four more runs, two of which came on a two-RBI triple to right center off the bat of Cole Kwiatkowski.
McCord struck out the first two batters of the ninth and got a lineout to end the game and earn the 15-9 victory.
O'Malley was 1-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI while Kwiatkowski went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI.
Burley capped a good day at the plate with three hits, including a double, and two runs scored while Nate Brooks was a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Senior Austin Rawlins and Brandon Emery, who scored twice, each had two hits.
Sophomore Tyler Trammel started the game on the hill and threw four innings, allowing seven runs, six earned, on three hits. He walked six and struck out six.
Bailey McCord picked up his conference-leading fifth win of the year on the mound with two innings of work and four strikeouts while not allowing a hit.
Findlay finished the game with 15 runs on 16 hits and made two errors while Lake Erie scored nine runs on five hits and made four errors.
The Oilers are now off until April 10-11 when they play host to Kentucky Wesleyan for a four-game set.