Franklin, Wisc. – The Oakland Golden Grizzlies split a Mother's Day doubleheader with the Milwaukee Panthers, dropping the first game, a seven-inning contest, 3-2, and winning the second, 6-2.
With the 1-1 day, Oakland is now 25-22 and 14-9 in Horizon League play.
Milwaukee moves to 18-24 (7-13 Horizon League).
Oakland's 25 wins this season tie the 2012 squad for the second-most in program history since transitioning to the NCAA Division I level in 1998, trailing only the 2000 team that won 28 games.
While the Golden Grizzlies saw their five-game win streak come to an end Sunday, the program has won six of their last seven and took the season series from the Panthers, winning three of five.
Game 1
Milwaukee 3, Oakland 2 (7 innings)
W: Senior left-hander Jack Mahoney (2-1)
L: Junior left-hander
Travis Densmore (4-3)
S: Sophomore right-hander AJ Blubaugh (5)
The Golden Grizzlies outhit the Panthers, 6-5, in this one and took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when sophomore catcher
Brandon Heidal singled home senior second baseman
Jared Miller and redshirt senior right fielder
Brenton Phillips.
Milwaukee redshirt sophomore left fielder Tommy Benson tied the tilt at two with a home run in the fifth and sophomore designated hitter Quinton Morris came around to score the game-winning run later in the frame when junior second baseman Mark Connelly reached on an error.
Densmore worked the first 4.1 innings for Oakland, allowing the three runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Graduate student right-hander
Quinton Kujawa handled the final five outs, with one coming via the strikeout.
Offensively, Miller led the way for the Golden Grizzlies, finishing 3-for-3.
Mahoney went five innings for the Panthers, giving up six hits, walking one and striking out six on 72 pitches. Redshirt junior righty Ryan Hoerter took care of the sixth before giving way to Blubaugh in the seventh.
Game 2
Oakland 6, Milwaukee 2
W: Redshirt junior right-hander
Brett Hagen (4-1)
L: Freshman right-hander Logan Schulfer (2-3)
Like in the first game, the Golden Grizzlies jumped out to a 2-0 lead, this time in the first inning, when junior designated hitter
Ian Cleary drove in senior first baseman
Gabe Lux with an infield single and Miller scored as part of a double steal two batters later.
The Panthers tied the game in the fifth on a single by redshirt sophomore center fielder Ty Olejnik, scoring senior shortstop Mitch Buban and junior left fielder Luke Seidel.
From there, it was all Oakland as the Golden Grizzlies scored once in the sixth, twice in the seventh, and again in the ninth.
Cleary and Lux both had two-hit games, with the former finishing with three RBI.
Typically used as a starter, Hagen appeared in relief in this one, recording the final 12 outs and striking out three.
Accomplishing the feat of pitching in both games, Kujawa drew the start, lasting 4.2 innings and sitting down two on strikes. Sophomore right-hander
Brandon Decker came in for the last out of the fifth before Hagen entered.
Taking over in the third and staying out there until there were two outs in the seventh, Schulfer allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and the same number of strikeouts.
Up next
Completing a home-and-home, Oakland will travel to Mount Pleasant to battle the Central Michigan Chippewas on Tuesday, May 10 at 3 p.m.
In second place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at 31-15 (24-6), the Chippewas defeated the Golden Grizzlies, 21-8, in Rochester on April 12.
