Box Score Box Score Rochester, Mich. (Apr. 17, 2004)- Oakland got off to a good start in conference play with a 9-3 win over Southern Utah in the first game of Saturday???s doubleheader. Junior Ty Herriott (Ostrander, Ohio) put the Golden Grizzlies ahead to stay in the third inning with a three-run home run. Oakland ran out of steam though in game two, dropping a 16-3 decision to put them at 8-21 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-Con. Starting pitcher Steve Kniebbe (Bridgeport, Mich.) went eight innings in game one for his second win of the season. He allowed only one earned run on six hits and struck out six batters. Herriott???s team leading, ninth homerun of the season put Oakland on the board and gave them a 3-1 lead. Southern Utah added another run in the fifth when Amos Burgess hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing in Jason Ruiz. Oakland spread out six runs over the next three innings to extend its advantage to seven. Bryan DeLamielleure (Romeo, Mich.) kept the scoring going in the fifth with his first triple of the season to bring in Chad Winkler (Port Huron, Mich.) who led things off with a single to left field. DeLamielleure came right back in the next inning and belted a two-run double to drive home Winkler and Herriott. Ryan Heath (Ostrander, Ohio) started off the seventh with a double to center and came around to score on the next at-bat as Tim Doig (Farmington, Mich.) doubled down the left field line. Beau Stoker came in to pinch hit in the top of the ninth and ripped a single to left field. He later came around as the Thunderbirds final run of the game on an RBI single by Ruiz. The Thunderbirds Ryan Zimmerman pitched 5.2 innings for the loss in the first game. He allowed seven runs on nine hits and struck out four batters. In the nightcap the Thunderbirds drilled out six runs in the third as they soared to an early 7-0 lead. Oakland starter Billy Schmieder (Chillicothe, Ohio) lasted 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on six hits before being relieved. Kory Drew hit his second lead off home run of the game to get things started in the third and Burgess hit a two-run double to center field two batters later. Southern Utah scored five runs in the sixth inning to stretch its lead to 12-0. Chris Mower hit a three-run double before Mike Martin pounded out a two-run blast the next at-bat. After they put up four more runs in the top of the seventh Oakland was able to prevent a shutout with three runs in the final inning. DeLamielleure added another double to his season total and drove in two of Oakland???s three runs. The junior hit .428 on the day with three doubles, a triple, five RBIs, and two runs scored. Schmieder (1-5) suffered his fifth loss of the season for Oakland while Southern Utah???s Dusty Nielsen (1-1) went the distance, allowing no earned runs and only four hits while striking out three batters in the win. The two teams will meet again tomorrow in a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader.