West Bloomfield, Mich. – In a game that was played at West Bloomfield High School due to the weather conditions, Oakland topped Purdue Fort Wayne, 10-9, in a 10-inning affair on Saturday, March 26 that was punctuated by freshman third baseman Brandon Nigh's walk-off home run to lead off the final frame.

With the victory, the Golden Grizzlies took two of three in the series and brought their 2022 record to 9-12 (4-2 Horizon League). The Mastodons are now 3-19 (2-4).

How it happened
Oakland raced out to a quick start by putting five runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from junior designated hitter Ian Cleary, his team-leading fifth of the season.

Purdue Fort Wayne would gradually chip away at this lead over the next few stanzas, scoring twice in the third and adding another in the sixth, before taking the lead, 6-5, on a three-run home run by junior catcher Cade Fitzpatrick in the seventh.

Exemplifying the tenacity that has served them well throughout their 4-2 start in league play, the Golden Grizzlies answered right back by scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh, giving second-year head coach Jordon Banfield's program an 8-6 lead.

Down to their final three outs, the Mastodons took another lead in the ninth by tagging Oakland's closer, sophomore right-hander Ben Paugh, for three runs, including a solo home run by junior left fielder Ben Higgins.

Once again, though, the Golden Grizzlies responded positively to the challenge by tying the game at nine in the bottom of the ninth when senior Jared Miller, who pinch-hit for classmate Gabe Lux, drew a walk, stole second base, and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches.

Shaking off his rough ninth inning, Paugh threw a scoreless tenth to keep the tilt tied at nine and gave his offense a chance for a walk-off win.

As part of a two-hit, three-RBI day, Nigh took full advantage of the opportunity to go out in style by launching a pitch from senior left-hander Justin Miller over the left-center field wall to give Oakland the game and the series.

For Nigh, whose .318 batting average is best among Golden Grizzly regulars, the blast was his third of the campaign, tying him with redshirt junior shortstop Thomas Green for second-most on the squad.

Paugh earned the win, his first of the year, and redshirt senior righty Jacob Wosinski was impressive in his sixth start, punching out eight Mastodons over 5.2 innings of five-hit, three-run baseball.

Working the final three-plus frames, Miller took the loss for Purdue Fort Wayne, dropping him to 0-6.

Up next
Before diving into another three-game home league set with Youngstown State from April 1-3, Oakland will hit the road to battle the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday, March 30 at 4 p.m. in Ann Arbor.

Coached by Erik Bakich, the Wolverines are 12-10 (1-1 B1G) entering their Sunday, March 27 series finale with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln.