Akron, Ohio- The University of Findlay softball team began its postseason run on Wednesday, April 30, with a first-round matchup in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Softball Championship at Firestone Stadium in Akron. The third-seeded Oilers, who have now won 10 of their last 12 games against Ashland, faced the sixth-seeded Eagles and came away with a 7-3 victory. With the win, Findlay improves to 33-12 on the season, while Ashland drops to 23-22.

After retiring Ashland's first three batters, Findlay opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff walk. Junior Annika Bredel followed with a two-run homer to left field, putting Findlay up 2-0. However, Ashland responded in the next inning with a two-run home run of their own to even the score.

The following two innings remained scoreless until the Oilers pushed across a single run in the bottom of the fifth.

The Oilers broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Kayla Dykin sparked the rally with a double to right field, followed by a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. A fielder's choice brought the second out, but sophomore Anna Jones came through with a clutch triple, clearing the bases and extending Findlay's lead to 6-2.

Ashland managed a single run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough, as Findlay held on for the four-run victory.

Junior Alexys Antal tossed all seven innings for the Orange and Black. Antal, who picked up a win against Ashland just four days ago, gave up just three runs on five hits. She struck out three while walking one. With the win, she improves to 7-4 on the season.

Offensively, Anna Jones led the charge for UF, going 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs. Annika Bredel also had a strong performance, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run in the first inning, one run scored, and two RBIs. With two stolen bases on the day, Bredel now ranks second all-time in program history with 48 career steals.

The Oilers will now advance to face the second-seeded Hillsdale Chargers at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, in the double-elimination tournament. A win will send them to Friday's matchup, while a loss will put them back on the field immediately after game one at 12:30 p.m.