Rochester, Mich. – Putting an end to the Golden Grizzlies' five-game win streak, Youngstown State defeated Oakland, 4-2, on Saturday, April 2.

The loss drops the Golden Grizzlies to 12-13 overall and 5-3 in the Horizon League, while the Penguins are now 10-16 and 3-2 in conference play.

With this being the middle of a three-game set, Oakland still has a chance to take their third straight league series to begin the season with a victory in the rubber match on Sunday. The Golden Grizzlies previously took two of three from Wright State from March 18-20 and Purdue Fort Wayne on March 25 & 26.

Youngstown State started the scoring in the fourth inning Saturday when redshirt senior first baseman Padraig O'Shaughnessy doubled to center field to bring home senior third baseman Steven D'Eusanio. The Penguins would add another run in the frame to take a 2-0 lead.

Oakland answered right back in their half of the fourth when freshman third baseman Brandon Nigh singled to right to score senior first baseman Gabe Lux and cut the deficit in half. Tying the game at two, redshirt senior right fielder Brenton Phillips scored graduate student second baseman Brad Goulet with a groundout two batters later.

Courtesy of a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Dylan Swarmer, Youngstown State retook the lead at 3-2 in the eighth. To complete the day's scoring, the Penguins tallied another run on a single by sophomore shortstop Seth Lucero in the ninth.

Redshirt senior right-hander Jacob Wosinski drew for the start for the Golden Grizzlies and pitched well, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts.

Following Wosinski, sophomore righty Brandon Decker took the loss, moving his season record to 2-2. The North Farmington product gave up one run on one hit in his 2.1 innings, walking three and striking out the same.

Another right-hander, sophomore Ben Paugh worked the final 1.2 innings, his first action since March 26.

Senior righty Travis Perry, Youngstown State's starter, also logged five innings, surrendering two runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Fellow senior right-hander Chad Coles earned the win, his first of the season, by providing 2.1 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball. He did not walk a batter and struck out one.

Junior lefty Nathan Ball posted a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save of the year.

Interestingly, the first five hitters in Oakland's lineup were responsible for all of the team's hits, collecting one apiece.

A pair of Golden Grizzlies continued their hit streaks, as Nigh extended his to five games and Goulet to four games.

Up next
In Sunday's series-deciding game, which begins at 1 p.m., junior left-hander Travis Densmore will start for Oakland, with righty Matt Brosky, who is also a junior, going for the Penguins.

Densmore started the March 30 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor, lasting 2.2 innings and allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout. On the season, he has made six appearances (two starts) with a 1-0 record, 7.94 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, .413 OBA, six walks, and 16 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Brosky has been Youngstown State's best starter, owning a 2-3 record, 1.86 ERA, .181 OBA, eight walks, and 44 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.