Softball Stays Hot, Sweeping Findlay To Stay Unbeaten In Conference Play

OVERVIEW – Findlay Oilers

SCORES: Northwood 6, Findlay 5 / Northwood 6, Findlay 3

RECORDS: Northwood (17-8, 4-0 G-MAC), Findlay (13-11, 0-2 G-MAC)

LOCATION: Findlay, Ohio – Marathon Fields

RECAP: Northwood softball traveled to Findlay for a Sunday (March 17) doubleheader against the Oilers. Northwood continued to stay hot, sweeping the Oilers with a 6-5 win in game one and a 6-3 win in game two. The Timberwolves have won 10 of the last 11 and are 4-0 to start conference play.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Findlay's two-out rally in the first put the Oilers up 2-0. UF drew a walk before a double down the left field line, and a single to left center gave the Oilers the lead.
• Brittany Steimel continued to stay hot, knocking her seventh home run of the season. Her two-run shot to left center in the fourth tied the game at 2-2, scoring Delanie Gale following her leadoff walk.
• Northwood would eventually take the lead one inning later with another leadoff walk to Jillian Krawczak and a walk to Gabby Schloop, Ashlyn Lundquist's gap shot to left center plated them both, 4-2 NU.
• Brittany Mutter shut down the Oiler offense after their two-run first, allowing just two Oiler base runners between the second and seventh innings.
• The Timberwolves added a crucial insurance run in the top half of the seventh. Schloop drew her team-leading 17^th walk of the season to open it before Lundquist's bunt single put Schloop in scoring position for Gale to single her home through the left side, 5-2 NU.
• Northwood tacked on one more with a tricky single behind the pitcher's circle by Madison Jordan, 6-2 NU. The sixth run would prove to be the difference in the game.
• The Oilers would force the Timberwolves to go to the bullpen in the seventh after the first two reached on straight singles. Findlay would make it 6-3 with a double to right center.
• UF continued to make trouble in the seventh, scoring two more off singles before Emily Cox would nail down the save with a strikeout and soft grounder to short. Northwood defeated Findlay 6-5

 GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 6/6/1, Findlay 5/9/1
• Runners left on base: Northwood 5, Findlay 6
• Winning Pitcher – Brittani Mutter (3-2), 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
• Losing Pitcher – Molly Pfiffner (4-2), 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 0 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Lundquist: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Steimel: 1-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, R, BB
• Schloop: 0-1, 2 R, 2 BB
• Gale: 1-3, RBI, R, BB
• Jordan: 1-3, RBI

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• The Oilers again jumped out to the early lead, capitalizing on a Northwood misthrown ball, scoring the batter who led off the game with a double, 1-0 UF.
• Northwood tied it at one behind Gale's solo shot left-center to begin the third. This is Gale's second home run of the year.
• Steimel followed Gale with a double off the left-center wall, starting the NU rally. Two batters later, Gage Lambert did the same, giving Northwood the 2-1, doubling home Steimel to give NU the 2-1 lead.
• Findlay retook the lead in the bottom of the third. A leadoff single would come around to score via a double to left, tying it at 2-2, and an RBI single to left gave them the 3-2 lead.
• Steimel and Ashley Ziel led off the fifth with walks, putting the pressure on Findlay. Elexia Fuentes' second double off the left field wall of the afternoon tied it at 3-3.
• The Timberwolves came alive in the seventh. A pinch-hit double to the gap in right-center moved Fuentes to third. The Timberwolves then capitalized on a misthrown ground ball that allowed Fuentes to come home and give Nu the 4-3 lead.
• Schloop made her biggest at-bat of the day matter. Her single to center gave Northwood the 6-3 lead, plating Krawczak and Jordan.
• Northwood three-run cushion let Emily Cox earn her seventh victory of the year, shutting down the Oilers in the seventh.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 6/14/2, Findlay 3/9/2
• Runners left on base: Northwood 12, Findlay 6
• Winning Pitcher – Emily Cox (7-1), 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 3 K
• Losing Pitcher – Avery Flynn (0-1), 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 0 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Gale: 2-4, HR (2), RBI, R, BB
• Steimel: 3-4, 2B, R, BB
• Fuentes: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI
• Jordan: 1-1, 2B, R
• Schloop: 1-3, 2 RBI
• Lambert: 1-4, 2B, RBI

UP NEXT

• Northwood softball is back next weekend (March 23-24) for doubleheaders at Malone on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and Walsh on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.