ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University baseball team salvaged a split against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Friday afternoon at the Oakland Baseball Field. The Golden Grizzlies won the high-scoring nightcap 17-13 after falling 12-4 in the opener. 

The Golden Grizzlies dropped a 12-4 contest to the Mastodons in the series opener. 

Senior Seth Tucker led the way offensively for the Golden Grizzlies, going 1-for-2 at the dish with a walk and a run. Senior Michael Stygles also went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Sophomore Austin Higgins furnished a noteworthy day as well, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. Another senior in Cam Post added a hit, RBI, and stolen base in the loss. 

Junior Bryce Konitzer (3-2) started on the mound for Oakland (16-29, 10-24 HL) and took the loss. The right-hander lasted 4.2 innings, giving up 10 runs, five earned, on eight hits, allowing five walks, and striking out two. He limited the PFW offense to one run through two innings but was tagged for eight runs in the following three frames.

The Mastodons (11-33, 8-26 HL) struck first with a combined four runs through three innings of play. A three-run double in the top of the third inning highlighted the early scoring from PFW. 

Trailing 4-0, the Golden Grizzlies first put runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning. Oakland put together three runs on three hits and one error in the frame, culminating in a run-scoring single from Stygles. The duo of Post and senior Lorenzo Elion pushed in runs in the third as well. 

The Mastodons expanded their lead to 12-3 before the Golden Grizzlies offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the seventh. Oakland scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Higgins, which tightened the Mastodons' lead to 12-4. The Golden Grizzlies were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.


The Golden Grizzlies exploded for a season high in runs en route to a 17-13 victory over the Mastodons in game two. 

Post's two extra-base hits were the highlight of a 3-for-5 game and included a double, a home run, and two RBI. Junior Gabe Lux made an impressive contribution with a double, a triple, two walks, and four RBI, part of a 3-for-3 performance at the plate. Senior Josh Dudden also chipped in for the Golden Grizzlies, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding a double, a walk, and two RBI. Freshman Reagan Paulina, sophomore Ian Cleary, and Elion each tallied two hits and one-plus RBI in the win as well. 

As a team, Oakland stole a season-high five bases and matched a 2021-best in doubles with six. Dudden led the way on the base paths with two steals, while six individuals collected a double.

Sophomore Travis Densmore (3-4) garnered the win out of the bullpen for OU. Freshman Ben Paugh shined in relief with two shutout innings and his first save of the season. He allowed just two hits while walking none and striking out three. 

Once again, the 'Dons jumped out in front with a three-run spurt in the second frame. Trailing 3-0, the Golden Grizzlies scored one or more runs in the final six innings on the way to victory. An eight-run fifth inning gave Oakland the lead, 11-5, which was too much for PFW to overcome. Oakland added multiple runs in the fourth and sixth frames. 

The Mastodons did not go down without a fight, as the visiting squad scored seven runs in the seventh inning to close their deficit to 15-13. However, the OU offense ensured the split with single runs in the seventh and eighth.  

Oakland will return to action tomorrow for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against PFW. Senior Day will be celebrated following game one of the twin bill. 

Game 1 Notes
» Oakland's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed three runs across.
» Oakland pitchers faced 42 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out three.
» The Golden Grizzlies drew six walks from Purdue Fort Wayne pitching.
» Stygles led the Golden Grizzlies at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by senior Alex Evenson, who went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.

Game 2 Notes
» Oakland scored a season-high 17 runs.
» Oakland matched a season high in doubles with six. 
» Oakland stole a season-high five bases.
» Oakland got three-hit games from Dudden, Lux, and Post.
» Lux and Post tallied multiple extra-base hits.
» Lux drove in a career-high four runs.
» Oakland pushed eight runs across in the fifth.
» Six Golden Grizzlies had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Golden Grizzlies had a total of 17 hits.
» Dudden stole two bases.
» Oakland went 8-for-21 (.381) with runners in scoring position.
» Oakland pitchers faced 49 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Golden Grizzlies drew six walks from Purdue Fort Wayne pitching.
» Lux led the Golden Grizzlies at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by senior Jack Lang, who went 4-for-6 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
» Freshman Sam Assaf led the Mastodons pitching staff, throwing 2.1 innings of two-run ball.

#GrizzVision with Jordon Banfield