Tiffin, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team saw its' longest winning streak in program history come to an end on Friday, April 3 in Tiffin, but did come away with a split on the day. The Oilers dropped the opener, ending a 12-game streak, by a score of 13-6 but came away with a win in the nightcap 7-0. The split gives Findlay a 21-10 record with a 12-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play.
Game 1 (L 13-6)
Findlay jumped in front on the second pitcher of the game when freshman Drew Tucker went deep to lead off the game. However, Tiffin answered immediately with four runs in the bottom half of the inning and would maintain control the rest of the way.
The Oilers continued to chip away offensively, scoring runs in five different innings. Luke Senften and Garrett Given each drove in a run with sacrifice flies, while Mike Sciortino delivered the biggest hit of the day for Findlay, ripping a two-run double in the fourth inning to pull the Oilers within two at 6-4. Sciortino finished with two RBIs, while Mason Myers paced the offense with a 2-for-3 performance, two runs scored, and a walk.
Tiffin responded with multiple crooked-number innings, including a four-run sixth, to extend its advantage. Findlay added solo runs in the sixth and seventh innings but was unable to close the gap, as the Dragons' bullpen combined for 17 strikeouts on the day.
On the mound, Ethan Mohr took the loss, allowing six runs over 2.2 innings. Findlay used six pitchers in relief with Blake Coleman posting a scoreless inning and a third outing to finish the game.
Game 2 (W 7-0)
Flipping the script in the second game of the day, Findlay dominated behind a stellar effort from starting pitcher Carson Mellott.
The Tiffin, Ohio native was the story for Findlay as he tossed a complete game shutout, throwing seven innings and allowing just one hit and striking out ten. It is the fewest hits allowed in a complete game since Mason Mayberry threw a no-hitter against Saginaw Valley State back on April 12 of the 2016 season.
The Oilers broke through offensively in the third inning. After Drew Tucker reached on a bunt single, Casey Maruniak launched a two-run home run to left field to put Findlay on the board. The Oilers added an unearned run later in the inning to take a 3-0 lead.
Findlay continued to build its advantage in the fourth when Tucker connected for a two-run homer to center field, extending the lead to 5-0. The Oilers capped their scoring in the fifth inning as Aiden Booth crushed a two-run home run to center, giving Findlay a 7-0 cushion.
Tucker finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Maruniak also drove in two runs. Booth added his two RBIs with the home run, as Findlay totaled seven runs on seven hits, taking advantage of three Tiffin errors.
Findlay and Tiffin will wrap up the series on Monday, April 6 in Tiffin.
