Rochester, Mich. – Evening the series at a game apiece and setting up a Sunday rubber match, Oakland defeated Milwaukee, 9-3, on Saturday, April 30.

The win moves the Golden Grizzlies to 20-21 with a 10-8 mark in Horizon League play, while the Panthers are now 16-22 (5-11).

Tossing a career-high 7.2 innings and picking up his fourth win of the season, junior left-hander Travis Densmore delivered quite possibly his best start in an Oakland uniform, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts.

The eight punchouts were also a new career-best for the Mesa, Arizona native and he retired the first 12 Panthers to step to the plate, not allowing a baserunner until junior third baseman Aaron Chapman singled to lead off the fifth.

Freshman righty Hunter Pidek handled the final four outs, recording two strikeouts.

Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies scored eight of their runs in a fourth inning that saw three two-run home runs.

Playing left field for the first time since April 1, graduate student Cam Post launched the first of these round-trippers, his first of the year, fellow graduate student Brad Goulet hit his team-leading seventh, and redshirt senior right fielder Brenton Phillips added his fifth two batters later.

Oakland's other run came on a sacrifice fly by senior third baseman Luke Malmanger in the seventh, scoring sophomore catcher Brandon Heidal.

Phillips, who is now second on the team with a .299 batting average and has hit safely in five straight, led the way with three knocks, while Goulet and Post both finished with two hits.

Redshirt junior Eliot Turnquist, a Ball State transfer, started for Milwaukee and took his first loss of the season, surrendering eight runs on six hits over 3.2 innings with five free passes and three strikeouts.

Up next
The Golden Grizzlies will look to pick up a series victory in the Sunday, May 1 finale at 1 p.m.

Redshirt senior right-hander Jacob Wosinski (2-3, 3.67 ERA) will start on the hill.