Canton, Ohio - The University of Findlay baseball team opened a four-game series on Saturday, March 14, against Malone University in Canton with a doubleheader. The Oilers dropped a tough extra-inning battle in the opener, falling 9–8 in 10 innings to the Pioneers. Findlay bounced back in the second game of the day, securing a 10–4 victory to earn a split in the doubleheader. With the split, Findlay moves to 9–9 overall on the season, while Malone improves to 11–4.
Game 1 (L 9-8)
In the first game, Malone jumped out to a 6–0 lead through the first two innings before Findlay began to chip away. The Oilers got on the board in the third inning when senior Keelan Daniel delivered an RBI single and senior Casey Maruniak followed with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 6–2.
The Oilers continued their comeback in the fourth as sophomore Mason Myers tripled to open the inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Isaac Ramos. Findlay added two more runs in the fifth when Maruniak blasted an RBI triple to right center and junior Luke Senften drove him in with an RBI groundout, cutting the deficit to 6–5.
Malone responded with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to extend its lead to 8–5, but the Oilers rallied once again in the ninth inning. After junior Nick Palm was hit by a pitch and Daniel drew a walk, Maruniak laced an RBI double down the left-field line. Senften followed with a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 8–8 and send the contest into extra innings.
Findlay was unable to push across a run in the top of the 10th, and Malone capitalized in the bottom half with a walk-off RBI single to secure the 9–8 victory.
Maruniak led the Oilers offensively with a perfect 3-for-3 performance that included a double, a triple, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Daniel added two hits, two runs, and an RBI, while Myers finished with two hits including a triple. Senften also drove in three runs for Findlay. On the mound, junior Dylan Rouse turned in a strong relief appearance, tossing 3.2 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out six. Despite collecting 10 hits, the Oilers were hampered by six defensive errors in the extra-inning loss.
Game 2 (W 10-4)
In the second game, Malone struck first in the second inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues to plate four unearned runs and jump out to a 4–0 lead. A sacrifice bunt and throwing error opened the door before a two-run double from Shane Coblentz capped the rally.
Findlay responded quickly in the third. Junior Aiden Booth got the Oilers on the board with an RBI double before senior Keelan Daniel drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Junior Luke Senften followed with an RBI single to trim the deficit to 4–3.
The Oilers evened the score in the fourth when junior Nick Palm lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Keegan Snyder and tying the game at 4–4. From there, Findlay took control late. In the sixth inning, senior Casey Maruniak delivered an RBI single before Senften ripped a two-run double down the left-field line to give the Oilers a 7–4 advantage.
Findlay added three more runs in the seventh to pull away. Maruniak drove in two with a double to left center, and Senften capped the scoring with an RBI groundout to make it 10–4.
On the mound, senior Carson Mellott earned the win after striking out eight over five innings while allowing four runs—none of them earned. Senior Connor Evanich closed the door with two scoreless innings in relief to secure the victory. Offensively, Senften led the Oilers with three hits and four RBIs, while Maruniak added two hits and three RBIs. Booth also contributed with a double and a run driven in as Findlay totaled eight hits and drew eight walks in the win.
The Oilers will continue the series on Sunday, March 15, with Game 3 scheduled for 1 p.m. and Game 4 set for 4 p.m. at Malone University in Canton.
