A late rally that forced extras and another game that slipped away early defined a frustrating midweek stretch for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies baseball team (10-26, 5-10 Horizon), who came away winless against the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the Oakland Baseball Field.
Game 1: Central Michigan 11, Oakland 6
In a back-and-forth game that eventually tilted in Central Michigan’s favor, the Chippewas struck first in the opening inning, taking advantage of back-to-back walks as Brady Krzciok and Logan Keilen each hit RBI singles to give Central Michigan an early 2-0 lead.
Oakland responded in unconventional fashion in the bottom of the inning. With two runners on, Aidan Schuck was picked off trying to steal second, allowing Kyle Revere to break for home and score, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
The Chippewas struck again in the next inning. With two runners on, Cole Prout drove in both with a two-RBI double. The Golden Grizzlies answered once again in the bottom half, as Tony Konopiots launched a solo home run to make it 4-2.
Central Michigan further built its lead in the third, as a single from Joey Milto and a Zach Knowlton walk set the table for Drew Loikits, who lined a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 6-2.
After Central Michigan tallied another run in the fourth, the Golden Grizzlies nabbed a run of their own in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI double from Sam Griffith as the Chippewas still led, 7-3.
Oakland made its strongest push in the fifth, as consecutive RBI singles from Lucas Day and Griffith brought the Golden Grizzlies within two runs of Central Michigan.
Despite the pushback from Oakland, Central Michigan had an answer each time. Logan Keilen’s two-run home run in the sixth and an RBI double from Prout in the seventh kept the Chippewas comfortably ahead.
The Golden Grizzlies added another run in the seventh on a Griffith RBI double, but a Bryson Webb RBI single in the ninth provided insurance. Central Michigan closed it out over the final two innings, allowing just one Oakland hit.
Game 2: Eastern Michigan 11, Oakland 10
Both teams wasted no time trading blows in their matchup, with Eastern Michigan scoring at the top of the first with an RBI single from Tristan Crane before Oakland responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Konopiots RBI double.
In the second inning, each team scored, with Eastern Michigan’s John Hale hitting a sacrifice fly to push across Nathan Borchardt before Ben Clark tied the game up with an RBI single to make it 2-2.
With the Golden Grizzlies close behind, the Eagles broke open the game in the third, sending all nine batters to the plate to score four runs, highlighted by a solo home run from Ty Stecko, giving Eastern Michigan a 6-2 edge.
Oakland refused to go away, tacking on two runs in the third with a Carter Hain RBI double and an Andrew Landis RBI single, coming within two runs of the Eagles at 6-4.
Looking to stay ahead, Crane connected for a two-run home run in the top of the fourth before the Eagles added another two runs in the fifth by virtue of an RBI single from Devan Zirwas, who went on to score on an Oakland throwing error, keeping Eastern Michigan ahead 10-4.
Facing a sizable deficit, the Golden Grizzlies got to work, plating a run in the fifth before Revere belted a two-run homer and Griffith made it home on an Eagle throwing error in the sixth, making it a 10-8 ball game.
After Oakland ushered in the eighth inning with consecutive walks, an RBI single from Hain and a Jack Lux sacrifice bunt pushed across two more Oakland runs to tie up the game 10-10.
In the ninth, the Golden Grizzlies made swift work of the Eagles, allowing no hits. With a chance to win in the bottom half, Oakland collected three hits but couldn’t push across the winning run, sending the game to extras.
After four scoreless innings to end regulation, the Eagles struck first in extra innings. Bruce Jellison was hit by a pitch and came around to score following a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Stecko to put the Eagles up 11-10.
Oakland failed to answer in the bottom of the tenth, with the Golden Grizzlies having a three-up and three-down inning, making Eastern Michigan the winners of the match.
On Deck
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel for a three-game series against the Northern Kentucky Norse, starting on Friday, April 24, and ending on Sunday, April 26.
Taking a look at the Norse, they’ve had a bumpy season, posting a 17-22 record and a 6-9 conference record. In the event of a series win or series sweep, Oakland will have the opportunity to climb out of the bottom of the Horizon League standings.
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