May 16, 2009

Box Score

SHREVEPORT, La. - Senior Andrew Stafford went 3-for-5, while fellow seniors Dan Ryan and Rob Merkle both picked up a pair of hits as the Oakland University baseball team (22-34, 10-18 Summit League) ended the 2009 season on a winning note, topping Centenary (32-16, 16-10 Summit League) 11-7 on Saturday at Shehee Stadium.

Oakland drew first blood in the top of the first inning, using a sacrifice fly from the bat of senior Taylor Traub to take a 1-0 lead after the top of the first. After the Gents came back in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs, Oakland used a two-run double by senior Justin Wilson to push ahead 3-2, and then added another run on an error to take a 4-2 lead.

The Golden Grizzlies used a solo homer by Stafford and an RBI grounder by Merkle to push ahead 6-2 in the top of the third, but Centenary answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to narrow the Oakland lead to 6-4. OU came back in the top of the fifth, as Traub scored on a wild pitch and senior Tony Williams laced an RBI single to push the Golden Grizzlies ahead by the score of 8-4.

A bases-loaded double by Centenary's Ricky Imperiali cut the Oakland lead to 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh, but OU relievers Jake Arendsen and Dan Augustine managed to shut down the Gents' bats, allowing just one hit and one walk over the final 2.1 innings.

Meanwhile, an RBI grounder by Wilson and an RBI double by Stafford gave Oakland a 10-7 lead in the top of the eighth, and OU added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth, on an RBI single by Merkle.

Freshman Kyle Teague picked up the win for Oakland, improving to 2-4 on the year after allowing seven runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings of work. Sophmore Tommy Jablonski also had two hits in the winning effort.

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