FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Oakland University softball program split its doubleheader against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Tuesday, May 4 at the Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field. The Golden Grizzlies earned a 5-1 win in the opener, while PFW's Camryn Mosher hit a two-out walk-off grand slam in game two, resulting in a 9-8 win for the Mastodons.
Game 1: Oakland 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
A three-run home run off the bat of junior outfielder
Lauren Griffith along with a complete game in the circle from sophomore pitcher
Sydney Campbell pushed Oakland past Purdue Fort Wayne by a final score of 5-1 in the opener.
Campbell (13-5) tossed a gem in the circle for the Golden Grizzlies (20-14, 19-11 HL), giving up just one run on four hits, allowing no walks, and striking out a season-best seven batters. The LaGrange, Ohio native limited the Mastodons (12-23, 11-20 HL) to no runs on two hits from the second inning on.
Offensively, redshirt junior first baseman
Cammie Brummitt led the way with three hits and a walk. Griffith went 1-for-4 with her fifth home run of the season to go along with a team-high three RBI. Senior
Jessie Munson also chipped in for OU, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding two RBI.
Trailing 1-0, the Golden Grizzlies first put runs on the board in the fifth inning. Oakland scored three times, all of them coming across on a three-run homer from Griffith.
The Mastodons failed to push any runs across before the Golden Grizzlies built on their lead in the seventh inning. OU picked up two runs when a single from Munson scored Brummitt and redshirt junior
Madison Jones, which brought the Golden Grizzlies lead to 5-1. The score remained 5-1 for the rest of the game, as Oakland coasted to its 19th win in Horizon League play.
Game 2: Oakland 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 9
An 8-5 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh was not enough for the Golden Grizzlies, as a walk-off grand slam helped the Mastodons to a 9-8 victory.
The quartet of Jones, Griffith, sophomore catcher
Jen Krizka, and junior outfielder
Arieanna Grammatico homered in the loss. Griffith posted a team-high three hits to go along with a home run and an RBI. Grammatico arrived as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and went 2-for-2 in the game with a home run and two RBI. Jones put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Freshman pitcher
Gracey Henckel started in the circle for the Golden Grizzlies. The right-hander pitched 4.0 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks. Senior pitcher
Emily Karas came in relief for Henckel in the bottom of the fifth, but could not get out of the frame, as she allowed one run on three hits in 0.2 innings of work. Campbell pitched the remaining 2.0 innings and took the loss, allowing four runs in the process.
The Golden Grizzlies jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the opening frame thanks to a three-run homer off the bat of Krizka. Purdue Fort Wayne quickly responded with a two-run blast to close OU's lead to 3-2.
PFW evened the score at 3-all with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second inning. Two errors by the Oakland defense contributed to the unearned run.
The score remained 3-3 until the top of the fifth inning when Jones hit a two-run homer, which gave the Golden Grizzlies a 5-3 lead. Once again, Purdue Fort Wayne answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to even the score, 5-5.
With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Grammatico drilled a pinch-hit solo home run to reclaim a 6-5 advantage for the Golden Grizzlies.
OU kept the Mastodons without a run before their offense got things rolling the next inning. The Golden Grizzlies pushed across two runs, including one on a solo shot off the bat of Griffith, bringing the Oakland advantage to 8-5. The Golden Grizzlies were unable to hold the lead, as Purdue Fort Wayne scored four runs on a grand slam in the bottom half of the seventh to grab the 9-8 win.
The Golden Grizzlies will return home to face the Mastodons on Friday, May 7 for their final series of the regular season. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Oakland Softball Field.
Game 1 Notes
» Jones extended her hitting streak to 12 games.
» Brummitt reached base in all four plate appearances.
» Brummitt collected three hits for the fifth time this season.
»
Allisa DiPrima extended her hitting streak to eight games.
» Munson matched a season high in RBI with two.
» Campbell pitched her 14th complete game of the season.
» Campbell struck out a season-high seven batters.
» Campbell limited PFW to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
» The Golden Grizzlies out-hit the Mastodons at an 8-4 clip.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by sophomore Madeline Swart, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
» Senior Shaina Eyre led the Mastodons pitching staff, throwing seven innings of five-run ball.
Game 2 Notes
» Grammatico hit her first-collegiate home run.
» Grammatico collected RBI hits in both plate appearances.
» Jones extended her hitting streak to 13 games.
» Jones hit her team-leading seventh home run of the season.
» Brummitt tallied a hit for the 13th time in the last 14 games.
» Griffith extended her hitting streak to seven games.
» Griffith homered for the second game in a row.
» Krizka hit a three-run home run for the third time this season.
» Oakland matched a season high in home runs with four.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by junior Camryn Mosher, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
