Streak Snapped as Oilers Fall to Greyhounds
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team, ranked tenth in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) regional poll, ended a five-game winning streak on Tuesday, March 28 with a 14-8 loss at the hands of the University of Indianapolis. After defeating the Greyhounds a week ago, the Oilers fell on Tuesday to UIndy, dropping their record to 12-10 on the year. Indianapolis improves to 12-9 on the year and snaps a nine-game losing streak.
Senior Cam Farrar doubled off the wall in right field with one out and two batters later, junior Andrew Micale hit a ball through the left side that allowed Farrar to score, putting the Oilers up 1-0.
Freshman Connor Evanich had it going early as he did not allow a hit through three innings. In the fourth, a pair of walks and a double to left ended the no-hit bid and tied the game. Later in the inning, Indianapolis would add on, taking a 7-1 lead by the time the third out was made.
Leading off in the bottom of the fourth, Farrar was again a part of the action when he launched a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in center, his sixth home run of the year. Two batters later, Micale hit a double off the base of the wall in left field. A single to center by freshman Keelan Daniel sent Micale home and made the score 7-3.
An error allowed a single run for Indianapolis in the top of the fifth but Findlay came back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. A bases loaded walk to senior Aiden Lao scored the first run and a fielder's choice off the bat of senior Christian Orr scored the second. A two-out single by freshman Casey Maruniak made the score 8-6, putting the Oilers back in contention.
After shutting Indy down in the top of the inning, the bottom of the seventh provided an opportunity for the Oilers. Farrar walked to start the inning and, despite back-to-back strikeouts, a hit-by-pitch to sophomore Austin Adelman and a walk to freshman Keelan Daniel loaded the bases for Lao, Findlay's leadoff hitter. The first pitch to Lao squirted away and Farrar broke for home, but Indy's catcher recovered, and, after a short rundown, Farrar was tagged out at the plate.
The next half inning, the Greyhounds scored two runs, making the score 10-6, and in the top of the ninth, four more runs were added to put the Oilers down 14-6.
Making wholesale changes in the bottom of the ninth, Findlay did manage to score a pair of runs. After a strikeout to start the frame, freshman Gavyn Smith was hit by a pitch and freshman Theo Winings walked. A strikeout put two outs on the board, but a walk to senior Derek Fay loaded the bases. With freshman Mike Sciortino at the plate, a pair of wild pitches allowed two runs to score.
Freshman Connor Evanich made his first career start and suffered the loss as he tossed 3.1 innings and allowed five runs on two hits. He walked three and hit one batter.
Farrar was Findlay's big bat on Tuesday, returning to form with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate. He had a double and a home run, drove in one run and scored two. Daniel had two hits and walked twice, scoring a run and picking up one RBI.
Micale also had two hits, including a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Findlay hits the road this weekend as they will head to take on Northwood in a four-game series that begins on Saturday, April 1.