Oilers Fire on All Cylinders | Sweep Lake Erie
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay softball team could do no wrong as they swept a doubleheader against Lake Erie College on Tuesday, April 6 at The Cube. The Oilers allowed just one run and four hits on the day, opening with a 6-1 win in Game 1 followed by a 7-0 shutout in the finale. With the wins, the Oilers improve to 14-13 overall with a 5-5 record in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play while Lake Erie's struggles continue as they fall to 5-20 overall and 0-6 in the conference.
Findlay first scored in the third inning of the first contest when a fly ball to center field was dropped, allowing senior Gloria Corona to score from first base.
That lead increased in the fourth inning on the strength of five hits. Junior Lyndsey Seamon led off with a single and later with one out, senior Dylan Wiley singled to put two runners on. Another single by senior Devyn Zuro loaded the bases and, after a strikeout, junior Lexie Hilling got a pinch hit single through the right side of the infield to plate two runs. Corona came in to pinch run and stole second base, and on the play Zuro raced home from third. The final run of the inning came on a single from freshman Avery Shepherd, sending Corona home and giving Findlay a 5-0 lead.
Each team scored one more run in the game as the Oilers cruised to the Game 1 victory.
Senior Megan Fisher got the win to improve to 5-6 on the year. She threw seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits. She walked one and struck out six.
In the second game, another five-hit inning put the Oilers in control. In the third inning, junior Kyla Snow and Hilling led off with back-to-back singles. A walk to junior Alyssa Laisure loaded the bases. With two outs, Shepherd ripped a single up the middle to put Findlay ahead 1-0. The next batter, junior Caroline Turner, singled through the right side to send two more runs home and increase the lead to 3-0.
In the fourth inning, Corona singled to lead off and then scored on a double by Shepherd, her second extra-base hit of the day. After a fly out, Megan Fisher clubbed her first home run of the year, a big fly to left center field that increased the Oilers' advantage to 6-0.
That was more than enough as Findlay would eventually win 7-0. The shutout came thanks to a brilliant performance in the circle by Lexi Hilling. The junior threw seven innings and allowed just a single hit, a double with one out in the first inning. Hilling retired the final 14 batters she faced en route to the shutout. In the game she walked just one batter and struck out six.
Offensively the Oilers were led by their standout freshman, Avery Shepherd, who extended her hitting streak to eight games with a pair of hits in each contest. During the streak, Shepherd is hitting .556 and has tallied five multi-hit games. On Tuesday, Shepherd was 4-for-7 on the day with a triple, double, four RBI and a run scored.
Megan Fisher was a perfect 3-for-3 in the nightcap including a double, a home run, two RBI, and a run scored while Hilling, while throwing a gem in the circle in Game 2, had three hits, two RBI, and a run scored on the day.
Gloria Corona finished the day 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Findlay will be back at home on Saturday, April 10 when they host a doubleheader against G-MAC foe Kentucky Wesleyan. Those games will start at 12:00 pm.