Offense Boosts Oilers in Sweep of Battlers
Findlay, OH – The University of Findlay softball team swept a G-MAC double-header with the Alderson Broaddus University Battlers on Friday, April 13. The wins boost the Oilers to a 21-16 overall record and 11-1 in the conference, while the Battlers fall to 3-25 (2-8).
Game 1 | W 17 – 1 (Box Score)
The Oiler offense wasted no time taking control of this one, scoring 9 runs in the first two innings of play.
Scoring began in the first with a solo homerun from the bat of senior Amanda Delmonte.
Bats picked up again in the second, highlighted by a homerun over the right centerfield fennce that scored three.
Alison Brunner also picked up three RBI on a triple to right center, while Meredith Shepherd and Alison Brunner picked key RBI singles.
Findlay continued to pour it on in the third inning, putting up another five runs on the Battlers defense.
Freshman Brooke Otto hit her second homerun as an Oiler to get the action started, with other runs coming on a doubles from Amanda Delmonte and Kelley Cejer and a single from Madison Arnold.
Singles from Cejer and Breanna Cleland helped produce three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Oilers defense held the Battlers in the top of the fifth and the game ended in a 17-1 run-rule victory.
Findlay had a total of 16 hits, four bases on balls, and six runners left on base.
Starting the game and receiving the victory on the mound for Findlay was Hailey Bryan, who improved to an 11-4 record on the year. Bryan pitched 3.1 innings while allowing only one run (unearned), one hit, no walks, and recording three strikeouts.
Freshman Caragyn Yanek entered the game in the fourth and went 1.2 innings, allowed zero runs, no hits, and recorded one strikeout.
Game 2 | W 10 - 2 (Box Score)
Findlay took the lead early again in game two, scoring Brooke Otto on a sacrifice fly from senior Amanda Delmonte.
After giving up a run in the second inning to the Battlers on a wild pitch, the Oilers received a huge single up the middle from Otto that scored Sadie Gearhart. Also on the play, Meredith Shepherd scored on a throwing error from the center fielder.
Alderson Broaddus did not go away easy, as they responded by scoring a run of their own in the top of the third that brought the score to 3-2 in favor of Findlay.
That was the closest the game would be, as the Oiler offense turned it on in the fourth and fifth innings.
With bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Delmonte launched a base-clearing grand slam over the centerfield fence to give the Oilers the 2-7 lead.
After a strong defensive top half of the fifth, the Oilers only needed three runs to reach the run-rule victory for the second time in the day.
Findlay loaded the bases thanks to a dropped third strike and a pair of singles from Arnold and sophomore Montana Walker.
Meredith Shepherd picked up an RBI on a ground ball up the middle, and Brooke Otto ended the game on a double to the right field fence that scored the final two runs.
Getting the start and the win on the rubber was Devyn Zuro, who improved to 2-0 on the year. Zuro allowed one hit, two runs (one earned), and four walks while striking out three Battlers.
Megan Fisher entered the game in the fourth inning and recorded two innings while allowing no hits, no runs, and two walks and striking out five Alderson Broaddus hitters.
The Oilers are scheduled to host another G-MAC double-header on Saturday, April 14 against Davis & Elkins. First pitch is set for 12:00 PM.