After a disappointing road series that saw the Oakland Golden Grizzlies get swept at the hnads of Purdue Fort Wayne, they returned home with high hopes to turn the ship back around.
Unfortunately, that turnaround was delayed by a few days.
Game one saw ace Hunter Pidek record a career high 10 strikeouts over six innings, but he left the game with Oakland down 3-1.
The bottom of the sixth saw a rally sparked, with Matt McGann delivering the game tying RBI on a base hit. However, the Penguins took the lead back in the top of the seventh, and held that slim margin to the finish line as Oakland dropped game one 4-3.
The Golden Grizzlies came back looking for a win in Game two, but Youngstown State never allowed Oakland to have a lead, taking a 3-0 lead in the first two innings before a 7-4 final.
Ben Clark and Trent Rice each scored two runs, while each scoring two runs. Rice stole a few bases as well, taking his season total to 19. He is 22nd in the country in stolen bases per game.
Once again, Oakland trailed early in game three, looking up at a 3-1 deficit in the fourth inning. That is when a much needed offensive explosion took place.
The Golden Grizzlies used a multitude of ways to manufacture runs in the bottom of the fourth, which led to an eight run frame. Clark kicked it off with an RBI double, Rice used his legs to advance on a sac fly then score on a passed ball, Carter Hain, Taylor Tomlin and Boston Halloran also scored in the inning.
Clark and Sam Griffith used doubles to expand the lead to 12-5 in the next couple of innings, putting the game in striking distance of a run rule win. An over throw on a dropped third strike scored two runs to push the lead to 14-5, before Brandon Nigh scored on a sac fly to win 15-5.
McGann was 3-4 in the win, with a homer and three RBI. Sam Griffith added two RBI on his two hits, while Clark, Tomlin and John Lauinger all went 2-3 and scored two runs each.
The win kept Oakland connected with the rest of the league, as they sit in 6th place of the six team league. They are 3-9, but only a game back of Youngstown State now. With only two teams above .500 in conference play, and a ton of baseball left, the Golden Grizzlies are one good stretch of baseball away from being right back in the middle of things.
Next up is a break in Horizon League play, as Oakland dips back into the non conference portion of their schedule with a Wednesday trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. The two teams have played one game against each other in each of the last three seasons, and Oakland has taken two of the three. First pitch is slated for 4pm Eastern Time.
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