Rochester, Mich. -- In their home conference opener, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies split a doubleheader with the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Friday, March 25.
Both games ended in a final score of 10-2, with Purdue Fort Wayne taking the first and Oakland the latter.
The Golden Grizzlies now stand at 8-12 (3-2 Horizon League), while the Mastodons are 3-18 (2-3).
Oakland will look to win their second league series in as many chances this season when the two programs square off in the rubber match on Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m. in a tilt that will be live streamed on ESPN+.
How it happened (first game)
Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Oakland 2
Wasting no time, the Mastodons jumped on sophomore left-hander
Chas Sagedahl, scoring twice in the first inning and adding another in the second to take an early 3-0 lead.
This score would hold up through four frames, but Purdue Fort Wayne pulled away further with two fifth-inning home runs – the first a solo shot by junior left fielder Ben Higgins and the second a three-run blast by redshirt sophomore second baseman Brian Erbe, bringing the score to 7-0.
The Golden Grizzlies would tally their two runs in the fifth when graduate student second baseman
Brad Goulet plated redshirt junior shortstop
Thomas Green with a sacrifice fly and left fielder
Cam Post, a fellow graduate student, singled to bring home senior first baseman
Gabe Lux.
Another Mastodon run in the eighth and two more in the ninth brought the score to its final.
Sagedahl took the loss for Oakland, dropping him to 1-4 this season, allowing three runs on five hits over 1.2 innings of work. He struck out one and walked the same number.
Freshman right-hander Rex Stills earned his first win of the campaign for Purdue Fort Wayne, throwing three scoreless frames with two walks and three strikeouts.
Offensively, eight different Golden Grizzlies recorded a hit, with senior
Jared Miller roping the lone extra-base knock, a pinch-hit double in the eighth.
How it happened (second game)
Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Redshirt junior righty
Brett Hagen was the star of the game for the Golden Grizzlies in the nightcap, tossing a complete game for his second victory of the year. The Modesto Junior College transfer gave up seven hits, walked three, and punched out five.
Despite the approximately 40-degree temperature, Oakland's bats gave Hagen plenty of run support in this one as the Golden Grizzlies scored in each of the first five stanzas, registering multiple runs in four of those frames.
Lux was on base four times, including three hits, and Green and junior designated hitter
Ian Cleary also turned in multi-hit efforts. Goulet delivered a game-high two RBI and tripled to lead off the eighth inning, coming in to score Oakland's final run on a Post groundout.
Working just the first inning, freshman right-hander Bryce Martins was the losing Mastodon pitcher, being tagged for two runs on a hit and two walks.
Up next
The series finale is set for Saturday at 2 p.m.
6-foot-8 redshirt senior right-hander
Jacob Wosinski (2-2, 3.57 ERA, 22.2 IP, 10 BB, 23 SO) will go for the Golden Grizzlies, while Purdue Fort Wayne is expected to counter with senior lefty Justin Miller (0-5, 9.13 ERA, 22.2 IP, 15 BB, 25 SO).
