March 27, 2009
Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Senior Jonathan Zalenski went 4-for-4, blasting two home runs and driving in six, senior Andrew Stafford went 3-for-3, and senior Justin Wilson went 2-for-5 with two solo homers as the Oakland University baseball team (7-11) blasted its way past Concordia (10-13), winning 10-8 on Friday at the OU Baseball Field.
"It was critical to see the team respond the way they did," said head coach John Musachio. "Concordia really came out and played hard today, and they gave us a run for our money. The ball was jumping a little bit today, and a one-run lead today wasn't exactly safe. I'm proud of our guys. They stuck with it, they played hard, and came out of it with a win."
The Golden Grizzlies opened scoring in the bottom of the first as Wilson blasted the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence, and Oakland tacked on three more runs in the inning, on an RBI grounder by senior Dan Ryan and a two-run single by Zalenski, to give OU a 4-0 lead after one. In the third inning, the Cardinals cut the OU lead to 4-2, but the Golden Grizzlies came up big in the third on a three-run shot by Zalenski to push ahead 7-2.
Concordia came back in the top of the fifth with one run to pull to within 7-3, and then cut the margin to 7-6 after hitting back-to-back homers, a two-run shot by Jeff Bultinck and a solo shot by Ben Sprague in the seventh inning.
The Golden Grizzlies would answer back with a power surge in the bottom of the eighth, as Zalenski and sophomore Aaron Wick hit back-to-back solo shots, and Wilson later homered once again to push the OU lead to 10-6.
Concordia fought back in the ninth, however, as Frank Persichino blasted a two-run shot to pull the Cards to within 10-8, but sophomore Jeff Gorecki induced a grounder to close the game and seal the OU win.
Gorecki picked up the save after allowing two unearned runs in two innings of work, giving up two hits and fanning one. Freshman Dan Augustine (1-0) picked up the win after allowing two runs on five hits, walking two in two innings of work.
The Golden Grizzlies will return to action on Tuesday, March 31, as they travel to Western Michigan for a single game against the Broncos. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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