Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay softball team picked up a pair of walk-off wins on Saturday, April 6 against the Ashland University Eagles. After giving up four runs to open the day, the Oilers rallied to win 5-4 in ten innings in the opener and, about three hours later, used a two-out, bases-loaded hit to steal a 2-1 victory in the eighth inning of Game 2. With the doubleheader sweep, Findlay improves to 17-15 overall with a 4-6 record in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play while Ashland falls to 13-16 on the year with a 7-5 mark in the league.
Game 1 (W 5-4 – 10 inn.)
For Ashland, the best half inning of the day came as soon as the team got off the bus. In the top of the first frame of the opener, the Eagles took advantage of a pair of Findlay errors and two hits to plate four runs and take a commanding 4-0 lead.
Things settled down after that as the rest of the day turned into a pitcher's dual.
Ashland starting pitcher Bryn Grabowski was throwing a gem, holding the Oilers hitless through five innings.
Trailing 4-0 into the sixth, junior Cassie Warner ripped a one-out triple to right field to get her team in the hit column, breaking up the no-hit bid. A sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Avery Shepherd made the score 4-1, however that three-run deficit remained into seventh.
Senior Kaitlynn Briggs singled to start the seventh and was replaced by pinch runner Anna Jones. Jones would score on a double by sophomore Alexys Antal. The next batter, sophomore Annika Bredel, blasted a line drive home run over the wall in center, her first long ball since February 29. That shot tied the game at 4-4 and sent the game into extra innings.
Neither team threated in the first two extra frames, forcing the international tie breaker to come into effect in the tenth.
Ashland failed to score in their half of the inning, setting the table for drama in the tenth. Freshman Avery Flynn pinch ran at second to start the inning and, after a pop out, was driven home by senior Avery Shepherd, giving the Oilers a walk-off, 5-4 victory.
Findlay scored five runs on seven hits and made four errors while Ashland scored four runs on seven hits and had no errors.
Senior Molly Pfiffner picked up the win with a dominant effort out of the pen. She did not allow a run and gave up just one hit in five innings of work to secure her sixth victory of the season. Starting in the circle was sophomore Kayla Dykin. She threw five innings and allowed four runs, none earned.
Game 2 (W 2-1 – 8 inn.)
Ashland began the nightcap in the same fashion, scoring in the top of the first inning. A leadoff single and an error allowed for a sacrifice fly the put the Eagles ahead 1-0.
The Oilers would tie the game in the fourth, also thanks in part to an error. Bredel reached on a miscue to start the inning and, after a sacrifice bunt by Briggs, she came in to score on an RBI single by pitcher Alexys Antal, who was throwing a nearly flawless game in the circle.
Fast forward to extra innings and the Oilers made sure to end the contest quicker than the game before. In the bottom of the eighth, Shepherd led off with a double off the fence in left center, nearly ending the game with one swing. A single by junior Alissa Davis and intentional walk to Bredel loaded the bases with no outs. Two quick outs were recorded, bringing freshman Joslynne Frazier to the plate. She quickly fell behind in the count 0-2 but, after fighting off multiple pitches, drove a ball deep to left center, nearly identical to the ball hit by Shepherd earlier in the inning. That hit, which is officially recorded as a single, would score one run and give Findlay a second extra inning, walk-off victory on the day.
While Frazier played hero late in the game, it was the work of Antal on the rubber that made the victory possible. The Topeka, Indiana native tossed a career-best eight innings to pick up her sixth win of the season. She allowed just one run, none earned, on three hits while striking out eight on 106 pitches. In total, Oilers' pitchers did not allow an earned run in 18 innings of work on the day.
Davis finished with three hits and a walk on the day while Warner, Antal, Frazier, Briggs, and Shepherd all had two hits.
The Oilers are back in action tomorrow, April 7 when they will take on the Ohio Dominican Panthers at home. Those games will begin at 1:00 pm.
