Softball Sweeps Dominican on Day 1 in Florida
Clermont, Fla. - The University of Findlay softball team opened up their southern spring trip on Saturday, Feb. 25 with a doubleheader against Dominican University New York. The Oilers dominated the first game, winning 9-0, and then took the nightcap by a score of 7-5. With the two wins, Findlay improves to 5-2 on the young season while the Chargers, a team that plays in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), starts their season 0-2.
Freshman Kayla Dykin was the story in the first game of the day as she would ultimately pick up her first collegiate win. Dykin was stellar, tossing a complete game, one-hitter while striking out eight batters and not allowing a walk.
She picked up offensive support from her teammates right away. After the Chargers went down in the first inning, junior Avery Shepherd went deep to left field to lead off the bottom of the first. Later in the inning, a double by junior Kaitlynn Briggs scored freshman Alexys Antal who singled.
In the third inning, Findlay poured on five runs, highlighted by a three-run blast off the bat of senior Olivia Carlton.
Shepherd had two hits in the game including a home run and a double. She also scored two runs and had an RBI.
Freshman Alexys Antal went 3-for-3 and scored three runs while Briggs also picked up three hits and had a pair of RBIs.
In game two, Shepherd again picked up extra bases to lead off the first inning. This time in the top of the first, Shepherd ripped a double and then came in to score on an RBI single by Antal. Antal would later score on a sacrifice fly by Olivia Carlton.
The second inning saw two more runs cross the dish for Findlay, the second of which came home on another double by Shepherd, her fourth extra-base hit of the day.
A home run in the fifth by Carlton put the Oilers ahead 5-1 and two more in the sixth made the game 7-1 through 5-and-a-half innings.
Dominican scored four runs over the final two innings, but it was not enough as Findlay hung on to pick up the doubleheader sweep.
The Oilers are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 26 with a doubleheader against Assumtion University.