Tiffin, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team picked up a split against the Tiffin University Dragons on Wednesday, April 10, dropping the first game of a doubleheader 6-1 before winning the nightcap 11-8. That split gives the Oilers a record of 20-14 on the year with a 14-5 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play while Tiffin is now 14-19 overall with a 9-10 record in the league.
Game 1 (L 6-1)
Tiffin scored a pair of runs in the second and the fifth innings to take a 4-0 lead through five innings of the seven-inning contest. In those first five frames, Findlay's best scoring change came in the second when senior Nate Brooks, who singled to start the inning, was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a fielder's choice.
Senior Cam Farrar hit a home run to lead off the sixth, putting Findlay on the board, but two more runs by Tiffin in the sixth went unanswered as the Dragons picked up the win in the opener.
Senior Logan Bragg suffered the loss on the hill, throwing five innings and allowing four runs, three earned, while walking three and striking out six.
Game 2 (W 11-8)
In the nightcap, the Oilers got behind 3-0 after one, but a seven-run second was the offensive explosion the team needed to take control of the game. Those seven runs came on four hits and two errors.
An infield single by sophomore Ryan Thompson sent the first run home and an error allowed a second. Another infield hit, this time by senior Cole Kwiatkowski, tied the game at 3-3 and, after an intentional walk to Farrar, sophomore Casey Maruniak doubled to make it 5-3. Two more runs would score before the inning ended, giving Findlay a four-run cushion.
Tiffin answered with three in the second, but two more runs by the Oilers in the third kept the margin at 9-6.
Maruniak doubled to start the sixth and, following a walk to Brooks, freshman Luke Senften singled to made the score 10-7. A bases loaded walk to freshman Nick Palm gave the Oilers their 11th run of the game.
Freshman William Rouse picked up the win out of the bullpen, throwing two innings and allowing just one run on one hit. Senior Sebastian Jones came in for the three-inning save, giving up just one run and striking out three.
Maruniak finished with three hits in the second game, two of which were doubles. He had two RBI and two runs scored. Senften and Kwiatkowski, who had a pair of hits in the opener, each had two hits in that game, as well.
Findlay will be back in action on Wednesday, April 17 for another game on the road against Tiffin.
