Eagle Baseball Completes Sweep Of Findlay On Senior Day

It was Senior Day for Ashland University's baseball team on Sunday (May 1) at Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex, and the Eagle seniors made sure they were going to complete a four-game home sweep of Findlay.
 
Play after play was made by AU's seniors on Sunday, resulting in an 8-7 victory to move the Eagles to 29-15 overall and 20-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and to 20-7 in the last 27 outings. Ashland is one game behind first-place Tiffin in the Great Midwest going into the final regular-season weekend of 2022.
 
"It was a great weekend," said Ashland head coach John Schaly of his team's second conference sweep of the spring. "We played well in all phases of the game. To win all four against the same team, that's tough."
 
The Oilers are 17-28, 12-14.
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• After the Oilers scored three runs in the top of the third inning, the Eagles wasted no time countering, putting up a four-spot in the bottom of the frame. Runs were driven in by senior shortstop Austin Eifrid (single), senior left fielder Seth Schroeder (ground out), senior designated hitter Tim Zeller (single), and senior first baseman Micah Allen (fielder's choice).
• Ashland extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four more times on two-run round-trippers from senior second baseman Logan Moss and Eifrid. Findlay scored a run in the fifth to cut its deficit to 8-4, then another in the eighth for an 8-5 score.
• The Oilers scored twice in the top of the ninth to make it a one-run game, but senior closer Perry Bewley closed the door for his seventh save of the season.
• Eifrid (2-for-5, home run, three RBIs), Zeller (2-for-4, RBI), Moss (2-for-4, home run, two RBIs), and senior center fielder Sebastian Fabik (2-for-2, double, two runs scored) each had two of Ashland's 11 hits.
• Eifrid added to his career total of hits (271), the most in the century of Ashland baseball.
• "It's really neat. It's something to be proud of," Eifrid said. "Just having fun playing baseball."
• "We're starting to swing it well, and from 1-through-9," Schaly said. "Anyone in our lineup is capable. We got a lot of clutch hits this weekend."
• Allen enters the final regular-season week with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in just 106 at-bats this season.
• "Findlay's not an easy opponent," he said. "It (my injury) helps me stay back and just stay longer on the ball, and it translates to more home runs."
• Yet another senior, right-hander Joel Ciccarelli (5-0), earned the relief win after giving up three hits, a run and a walk and striking out three in 2 2/3 innings.

 
UP NEXT
Ashland is scheduled to play at home on Tuesday (May 3) at 4:30 p.m. against Mount Vernon Nazarene (34-15), then finish the regular season with four games at Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday and Saturday (May 6-7).
 
"We control our destiny from here on out," Allen said.