Solid Pitching All for Naught as Oilers Drop Doubleheader in Nashville
Nashville, Tenn. – The University of Findlay baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader on Sunday, April 25 in Nashville, Tennessee at the hands of the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans. Game 1 ended with a 4-1 final while the second contest ended with a score of 6-2. With the losses, the Oilers are now 10-19 on the season with an 8-14 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. The Trojans improve to 21-7 and are now tied for first in the G-MAC with a record of 16-2 in conference action.
Findlay had just five hits in the opener and struck out 11 times and struggled to find their way against the Trojans ace, Chase Haley, who now has a record of 5-0 this season.
Trailing 2-0 into the seventh, with starter Anthony Kyle holding Trevecca at bay, Findlay scored their lone run of the game on a single by senior Tyler Burley. The Trojans answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to increase their lead back to 4-1 and never looked back as they earned the win in the series-opener.
Kyle, who came into the game ranked fifth in the G-MAC in strikeouts, pitched well for Findlay as he threw seven innings and scattered eight hits to allow four runs, three of which were earned. He walked one and struck out ten, the second consecutive game he has picked up double digit strikeouts in a start.
The Oilers offense struggled even more in the nightcap as the visiting team managed just a pair of hits while, again, receiving a solid effort on the mound, this time from sophomore Chase Hopewell.
In the top of the sixth, trailing 1-0, the Oilers finally got on the scoreboard when senior Tyler Burley hit a sac fly to center field scoring sophomore Jacob Wilson, who pinch ran for senior Tyler Archambeau who singled. That run tied the game at 1-1.
Trevecca wasted no time taking the lead back as they sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs on four hits to take a 6-1 lead.
A leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh by Findlay sophomore Cam Farrar was the second hit of the game and made the score 6-2, but was not enough as the next three batters were set down in order to end the game and give the Trojans the doubleheader sweep.
Hopewell took the loss on the hill as he threw 5.1 innings and allowed five runs, all earned, on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.
The four game set with Trevecca Nazarene will conclude tomorrow with another doubleheader that will begin at 2:00 pm.