May 29, 2012

ROCHESTER, Mich.- The Oakland softball team battled through injuries throughout the 2012 season, but this resilient group battled and finished the season playing .500 softball over the final 14 games, winning two out of the last three Summit League series and winning the final two games at home on Senior Day to finish with a 10-38 overall record and 5-19 in league play.

Erika Polidori and Erin Gallowayeach earned All-Summit League selections, making it the second consecutive season both players have earned an all-league selection. Polidori earned first-team honors by leading Oakland in batting average (.379), hits (44), runs (23), slugging percentage (.647) and on-base percentage (.451). She also drove in 15 runs and stole 17 bases while being tied for first on the team in home runs (6) and doubles (9).

Galloway led Oakland with 23 RBIs, while hitting .274 in a team-high 146 at-bats. She was second on the team in hits (40), slugging percentage (.377) and home runs (2). Galloway also led the team in assists with 104 and was tied for the team lead in doubles with nine.

Oakland had one of its most exciting victories of the season early on, as Leah DiCristofarogave the Golden Grizzlies their first win of the season as she hit a walk-off home run against St. Peter's to earn the 2-0 in extra innings. DiCristofaro went on to finish her four-year career at Oakland ranked in the top-10 in 11 career categories including: slugging percentage, doubles, home runs and RBIs. She also tied a school-record with three home runs in one day as she blasted three home runs during a doubleheader at Detroit on March 21.

The Golden Grizzlies earned their first Summit League series win against South Dakota State at the OU Softball Field on April 14 highlighted by a four-run seventh inning capped off by a walk-off single by Shelby Gott to salvage a split in the doubleheader. Abbie Richardson earned the win throwing a complete game and striking out four batters. The next day, Brittany Doylethrew 2.1 shutout innings in relief as Oakland used a four-run fifth inning to earn the series win.

Doyle led the Black and Gold in the circle, with a 6-17 record in 24 starts with a 4.56 ERA including 15 complete games. Richardson finished 2012 as a solid number two starter with a 4-11 record in 19 appearances including a 4.84 ERA and five complete games. Doyle ended her career ranked in the top-10 in career wins, complete games, ERA, strikeouts and shutouts.

Oakland earned double-digit victories on the season on the final day of the season earning two victories against Western Ontario. In the first game, Galloway, Jackie Kisman and Dani Dulberg each had multi-hit games as five Golden Grizzlies drove in runs to earn a 9-3 victory. In the nightcap, DiCristofaro drove in four runs and Colleen Zimmermandrove in two runs as Doyle threw a one-run complete game to earn a 10-1 victory on Senior Day.

Despite battling through injuries, Kelsey Krychincreased her career stolen base record to 79 in her five-year career and finished sixth all-time in career batting average and eighth in on-base percentage.

Oakland will only lose four players to graduation while returning both Polidori and Galloway as the team will look to learn from a season that was hampered by injuries and find its way back to the Summit League Championships next season

-OAKLAND-