ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University baseball team celebrated Senior Day with a doubleheader sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Baseball Field. The Golden Grizzlies rallied back to win the opener 6-5 and followed with a 17-10 victory. 


The Golden Grizzlies overcame a three-run deficit to knock off the Mastodons 6-5 in the Saturday opener. 

Senior Cam Post led the way offensively for the Golden Grizzlies, going 2-for-3 in the Horizon League contest with a home run and two RBI. Senior Michael Stygles put together a standout performance as well, going 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and two RBI. Senior Josh Dudden also contributed, going 2-for-3 for Oakland with an RBI.

Junior Hayden Nierman (4-6) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Oakland (18-29, 12-24 HL). The right-hander tossed 3.2 shutout innings while giving up three hits, allowing no walks and striking out three.

The Golden Grizzlies got the scoring started early, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning with the game still scoreless. Oakland plated two runs when Post left the yard with freshman Brandon Heidal aboard.

The Golden Grizzlies lost the lead they built, as Purdue Fort Wayne (11-35, 8-28 HL) combined for five runs from the second to the fourth frame. Trailing 5-2 in the sixth inning, the OU offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a two-run blast off the bat of Stygles, which brought the score to 6-5 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies.

PFW loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning, but Nierman induced a groundout to clinch a 6-5 victory for Oakland. 


Oakland broke through a 9-9 tie in the sixth inning to knock off the Mastodons 17-10 in the series finale. 

The offense was clicking in all cylinders, as the Golden Grizzlies matched a season high in runs, hits (19), and home runs (3) in the victory. Six individuals garnered multiple hits, while seven others knocked in one or more RBI.

At the plate, the Golden Grizzlies were paced by Post once again, who went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and five RBI. Senior Blake Griffith put together a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, a walk, and an RBI. Freshman Drew Collins tallied a team-best four hits to go along with one RBI and two runs. Senior Lorenzo Elion finished second on the team with three hits, while senior Brooks Asher, junior Jared Miller, and Stygles had two hits apiece. Senior Seth Tucker drilled a three-run homer in his lone at-bat of the day. 

On the mound, senior Tyler Trovinger (1-0) earned his first win of the season for OU. The right-hander pitched the final three innings, giving up just one run on one hit. Senior Dan Rutan opened the game with three scoreless frames but was tagged for two runs in the fourth. 

Both teams were quiet offensively early on, as the game was scoreless after two innings of play. However, Oakland plated two-plus runs in six-straight frames to eventually break the game open. 

The Mastodons experienced success at the plate with a combined nine runs from the fourth to the sixth inning. The offensive spurt led to a 9-7 advantage for PFW in the sixth frame. The Golden Grizzlies responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the sixth to tie the game, 9-9. 

Oakland took the lead for good with five runs in the seventh inning. Post's grand slam highlighted the five-run spurt. Tucker hammered a three-run homer in the eighth to extend the Golden Grizzly lead and ensure the Senior Day sweep.  

Game 1 Notes
» Oakland's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Oakland overcame a three-run deficit for the second-straight game.
» Three Golden Grizzlies had two-plus hits.
» The Golden Grizzlies out-hit the Mastodons at an 8-7 clip.
» Oakland went 2-for-4 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Oakland pitchers faced 32 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out five.
» Post led the Golden Grizzlies at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

Game 2 Notes
» Oakland matched a season high in runs, hits (19), and home runs (3).
» Freshman Drew Collins collected four hits on the day.
» The Golden Grizzlies power output was led by Griffith, who compiled two extra-base hits.
» Post drove in five runs for Oakland.
» Oakland's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed five runs across.
» Six Golden Grizzlies had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Golden Grizzlies out-hit the Mastodons at a 19-10 clip.
» Senior Lorenzo Elion stole two bases in the series finale.
» Oakland went 6-for-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» Oakland pitchers faced 48 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out five.

#GrizzVision with Jordon Banfield