Strong Pitching Leads Oilers to Wins Over Tiffin
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay softball team took advantage of a pair of solid pitching performances on Friday, April 29 to sweep a twin bill against the Tiffin University Dragons. Findlay won the opener 5-2 and then won in dramatic fashion in the night cap, winning 4-0. With the two wins the Oilers improve to 34-10 overall, the most wins of any team in the league, with an 18-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Tiffin falls to 21-25 overall and 10-10 in the league with the pair of losses.
Findlay got the first game started on a good note as sophomore Avery Shepherd led off with a single to right. After a fielder's choice and an error off the bat of senior Megan Demler, the Oilers had two runners on base with no outs. A strikeout and a line out put two quick outs on the board, but a walk to Olivia Carlton kept the inning alive. Senior Kyla Snow then hit a bloop single that was then thrown away, allowing three runs to score.
Both teams struggled over the next three innings, combining for just one hit through innings two, three, and four.
In the top of the fifth, after two quick outs, Tiffin drew three consecutive walks to load the bases, but a lineout to second ended the threat.
Findlay added on in the bottom of the fifth, thanks again to another error by Tiffin. With one runner on base, Tiffin's third baseman airmailed a throw to first, allowing a run to score.
A Findlay error in the sixth allowed a pair of Dragons runs, bringing the score to 4-2, but another error by Tiffin, a dropped fly ball off the bat of Kyla Snow, let another Findlay run across.
The Dragons got a two-out triple in the seventh, but a pop up to short ended the game at 5-2 in favor of the home team.
Tiffin finished the game with two runs on two hits and made five errors while the Oilers had five runs on five hits and made one error.
Avery Shepherd had one hit and two runs scored while Kyla Snow had a hit and led the team with two RBI.
In the circle, senior Megan Demler, who is already the fist and only pitcher in program history to have 400+ strikeouts, threw a complete game, allowing two runs, both unearned, on two hits. She danced around eight walks but was able to record ten strikeouts, her fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
The nightcap was a pitchers dual from the start.
Through three innings of play, both pitchers were throwing a no-hitter. The first hit came in the top of the fourth when Tiffin's Maddie Woods had a hit through the right side.
Findlay did not have a baserunner until the bottom of the fourth when Megan Demler walked and the Oilers' first hit came in the fifth, an infield single by Lainey Bingham.
With the score still at 0-0, Avery Shepherd led off the sixth with a walk and, after Rachel Mease entered to pinch run and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Demler Mease on third with one out.
Senior Lexie Hilling, who was throwing a gem in the circle, singled through the right side to help her own cause, putting Findlay on the board first at 1-0. Two batters later, Kyla Snow laced a double to the fence in center, sending another run home. Freshman Brooke Radermacher then put an exclamation point on the game, a two-run blast, her eighth of the year, putting Findlay ahead 4-0.
Hilling set the Dragons down 1,2,3 in the seventh, coaxing a lineout to third to end the game.
That perfect final inning wrapped up a complete game performance for Hilling who went all seven innings and did not allow a run and gave up just two hits. She walked just one and struck out three to improve to 10-5 on the year.
Findlay ended the game with four runs on four hits and no errors while the Dragons had no runs on two hits and did not make an error.
Findlay wraps up the regular season tomorrow, April 30, with a doubleheader in Findlay against Hillsdale College. The games will begin at 1:00 pm with a celebration of the team's seniors taking place between contests.