EAST LANSING, Mich. ???C Freshman left fielder Alyssa Deacon went 3-for-4, with two runs batted in, sophomore catcher Angela Righetti went 4-for-5, and sophomore center fielder Audrey Sabourin finished 2-for-4, as the Oakland University softball team (13-22) dropped a pair of games at Michigan State (25-22), 8-2 and 8-5, on Wednesday at Old College Field. The Golden Grizzlies out hit the Spartans in the nightcap 13-10.

Sophomores Anne Cicchini and Sam Bell each drove in runs for the Golden Grizzlies in the opener, while freshman Courtney Stuard added a hit for Oakland. Freshman Brittany Grys (1-4) went the distance, allowing 11 hits, eight runs, five earned runs, striking out two and walking two.

Junior Roberta Ches homered for OU in the nightcap, driving in two runs and pushing her season total to five. Freshman Alison Tansel (1-3) worked 4.0 innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, six earned runs and struck out one.

In game one, the Golden Grizzlies threatened in the top of the first inning as Deacon led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the MSU third baseman. After a strikeout, she moved over to third base on an error by the first baseman to put runners at first and third with one out. The Grizzlies would fail to score as MSU???s Shae Bass recorded a strikeout and a force out at second base to end the inning.

The Spartans put runners at second and third with no outs after a leadoff walk and double, but OU???s Grys settled down and induced to pop outs on the infield and a fly out to left field to work out of the jam as the game was scoreless after one inning of play.

Deacon got things started again for the Grizzlies in the third inning, walking and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt with two outs. Junior Julie Owen then stung a ball that was heading to the right field when the Spartan second baseman made an unbelievable diving grab to keep the game scoreless.

Errors continued to plague OU as the Spartans broke through in the bottom of the third inning on a routine ground ball to shortstop that was booted and then thrown over the second baseman???s head to allow the runners to move up. Then Lindsey Hansen singled through the left side to plate two more runs as Oakland trailed 3-0.

MSU???s Bianca Mejia doubled off the left field wall after a single in the bottom of the fourth inning to increase the Spartans??? lead to four runs.

The Grizzlies broke through in the top of the fifth inning as Stuard led off with a single up the middle, Bell followed with a triple to right-center field and Cicchini singled to right field to drive in Bell and cut the lead down to 4-2.

The Spartans??? Gina Mondo drove a ball off the left field fence with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning to score two more runs as MSU led by four runs, 6-2. MSU then scored two more runs on a throwing error by the third baseman as the lead grew to six, 8-2.

Oakland scored two runs, on four hits and committed two errors, while MSU scored eight runs, on 11 hits and had two errors.

In game two, Mondo broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with a bases loaded double to left-center field to clear the bases and give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.

OU???s Deacon pinch hit for the Golden Grizzlies in the top of the fourth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, driving in a run with an infield single to first base, but the Spartans recorded the third out at home plate as Righetti tried to score from second and was gunned down at the dish as the Grizzlies climbed within two, 3-1.

MSU responded with four two-out runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, highlighted by a triple by Kara Weigle and RBI singles by Mondo and Kristen Aidem as the Golden Grizzlies trailed by six, 7-1.

The Spartans??? Jessica Bracamonte doubled to right-center field to score the eighth run of the game for MSU as Oakland now trailed by seven after five complete innings.

OU push two runs across in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Deacon and an error by the MSU third baseman as the lead was cut to five, 8-3. The Golden Grizzlies fought in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Ches, her fifth of the season, as OU fell by three.

Oakland scored five runs, on 13 hits and had three errors, while MSU scored eight runs, on 10 hits and had one error.

The Golden Grizzlies will dip back into Summit League action this Friday and Saturday at Southern Utah University. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. ET, and a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

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