Facing elimination twice so far, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies baseball team (13-41, 5-19 Horizon) kept its Horizon League Championship hopes alive Thursday, falling to Wright State before bouncing back with a season-saving victory over Northern Kentucky.
“There are a lot of people who counted us out along the way, and that allows us to play hungry, and our guys are showing that right now,” Oakland head coach Brian Nelson said.
Although Oakland missed an opportunity to move deeper into the winner’s bracket, the Golden Grizzlies kept their season alive.
Tournament Game 3: Wright State 7, Oakland 5
Oakland opened the scoring in their game against Wright State, tallying two runs in the first inning as Sam Griffith grounded out, allowing Kyle Revere to make it home before Lucas Day lined a run-scoring single to push Aidan Orr across to give the Golden Grizzlies a 2-0 lead.
Although the Raiders responded with a run in the bottom of the first, the Golden Grizzlies extended their lead in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Day connected for a two-RBI single. On the next at-bat, Aidan Schuck drove in a run with a single, expanding the Oakland lead to 5-1.
Despite the strong start from Oakland, the Raiders slowly started to creep back into the game, starting with a two-run home run from Gus Gregory in the fifth that made it a 5-3 ball game.
By the seventh inning, the lack of offensive punch from the Golden Grizzlies caught up to them, as the Raiders put together a four-hit inning to bring in three runs, highlighted by an RBI single from Andrew Duncan. At the end of the inning, the Raiders now led, 6-5.
As Oakland’s offensive struggles continued, the Raiders tallied another run in the bottom of the eighth, as a sacrifice groundout off the bat of Patrick Fultz gave Wright State some breathing room with the score now 7-5.
With no response from the Golden Grizzlies in the top of the ninth, Wright State came away on top in a game that saw the Oakland offense fizzle out. Following Oakland’s hot start, the Golden Grizzlies managed just three hits through the final six innings.
Tournament Game 4: Northern Kentucky 3, Oakland 5
Facing the Norse in a win-or-go-home matchup, the Golden Grizzlies were first to score. With two runners on, Day singled to right-center to bring home one run to give Oakland the lead in the third inning.
In the following inning, Oakland took advantage of some mishaps from the Northern Kentucky defense to add to their tally. Two hits and a Norse error later, the Golden Grizzlies led 4-0, highlighted by an RBI single from Boston Halloran.
The Norse found an answer in the fifth inning, mostly due to some errant pitching from Oakland. After Jake Paulick opened the inning with a single, five consecutive walks pushed three runs across for Northern Kentucky, making it a 4-3 ball game.
Despite a shaky inning for Oakland, the Golden Grizzlies kept the Norse offense in check throughout the rest of the game. Come the eighth inning, Schuck added insurance to the Oakland lead with a base hit that plated a run, marking the final run scored in the game as the Golden Grizzlies came away on top.
On Deck
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will play the loser of the Wright State and Milwaukee game on Friday, May 22, at 12:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
Following Oakland’s narrow loss to the Raiders in game three of the tournament, multiple outcomes await the Golden Grizzlies.
In the event Wright State beats Milwaukee, Oakland will face the Panthers in the elimination game on Friday. Should the Golden Grizzlies win, they will then have to beat the Raiders in two separate games on Saturday, May 23, to claim the Horizon League Championship.
Should Milwaukee beat Wright State, the Golden Grizzlies will take on the Raiders in the elimination game on Friday. If Oakland comes away on top, they will face Milwaukee in a winner-takes-all game on Saturday.
While the path to the championship for Oakland seems easier in the event Milwaukee beats Wright State, the Golden Grizzlies still have a tough challenge ahead. Both the Panthers and the Raiders have a 5-1 record against the Golden Grizzlies this season.
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