Findlay Breezes by Tiffin in G-MAC Tournament
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay softball team continued its' pursuit of a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) title on Thursday, May 4, taking on the Tiffin Dragons in the tournament quarterfinal. From the jump, the contest went in favor of the fifth-seeded Oilers who would go on to a 10-2 run-rule victory over the eighth-seeded Dragons which upset top-seeded Ohio Dominican on Wednesday. The win gives Findlay a 31-14 record on the year and propels the Orange and Black to the winner's bracket final for the second consecutive season.
On Wednesday, the Oilers took advantage of eight errors by Cedarville to pick up the win. Today, it was a different story as Findlay slugged it's way to a win. That begin in the first inning when junior Avery Shepherd singled, freshman Alexys Antal walked, and freshman Annika Bredel singled to load the bases with no outs. Senior Caroline Turner ripped a single through the right side to plate two and later in the inning, Turner got herself in a rundown, allowing Bredel to score.
Already leading 3-0, Findlay found another gear in the second inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. The Oilers then went station-to-station. Antal singled to score one run, Bredel singled to score another, and Turner reached on an error, allowing another. Senior Olivia Carlton singled to left, making it 7-0, and senior Kaitlynn Briggs recorded a sacrifice fly to make it 8-0, blowing the game wide open.
Two more would score in the fourth, pushing Findlay's lead to double-digits.
A two-run home run in the fifth by Tiffin finally put Findlay's northwest Ohio neighbors on the board, but it was not enough as the Oilers eight-run lead brought the mercy-rule into effect, ending the contest after five innings.
Findlay would finish with ten runs on 12 hits while Tiffin managed just two runs on five hits.
Bredel had a standout performance at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Turner had two hits and two RBI while Shepherd had two hits, including a double, and two runs scored. Carlton added a pair of singles and an RBI.
Sophomore Emma Jones, pitching for the second consecutive day, tossed her second complete game of the tournament. She would span all five innings, giving up just five hits, walking one batter, and striking out five of the 21 batters she faced.
Findlay moves on to play the Hillsdale College Chargers tomorrow, May 5. Those two have a date at 10:00 am on Anderson Field for the right to go to the G-MAC Championship game on Saturday.
If you cannot make it to The Cube to watch in person, follow the action on the G-MAC Digital Network. The game will be produced by PulseTV with David Wilson on the call.
In other tournament action on Thursday, the (2) Hillsdale Chargers defeated (3) Trevecca Nazarene by a score of 2-1 and advances to take on Findlay. Trevecca Nazarene kept themselves alive with a win in the consolation bracket. (8) Tiffin, after falling to the Oilers, stayed alive, as well, taking down (6) Northwood in the consolation bracket.
Ashland and Cedarville were the first two teams to head home, each losing their first two contests of the weekend. Northwood and Ohio Dominican, which is the two-time defending champion of the tournament and current no. 6 team in the Midwest region, were both eliminated as well, leaving four teams in position to chase the conference crown.