ROCHESTER, Mich. – Their second consecutive game against a Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies were defeated by the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, 9-3, on Wednesday, March 29.
Wednesday was the second in a 10-game homestand for the Golden Grizzlies, who are now 8-15 (2-4 Horizon League), while Miami (OH) picked up their second win in a row and improves to 6-20 (3-6 MAC).
Making his first start and fifth appearance of the season, freshman left-hander
Tanner Ware took the loss for Oakland, dropping him to 0-2. The North Canton, Ohio native allowed four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 3.1 innings.
Redshirt senior right-hander
Sean Fekete took over for Ware and worked 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on a pair of hits with three walks and five strikeouts, and fellow redshirt senior righty
Brett Hagen pitched the ninth.
The second of six RedHawk pitchers on the approximately 36-degree afternoon, junior right-hander Tyler Chadwick tallied his first win by working a 1-2-3 fourth inning. Mattawan freshman lefty Carson Byers made his third start and tossed three scoreless frames, allowing two Golden Grizzly hits with one walk and a trio of strikeouts.
Gilbert, Arizona redshirt sophomore third baseman Ryland Zaborowski led the charge for the Miami (OH) offense, going 3-5 with a double, his MAC-leading 10
th home run and three RBI. Shortstop Dillon Baker, another redshirt sophomore, stretched the RedHawk lead to 7-2 with a three-run home run in the eighth and redshirt junior right fielder Nate Stone launched a two-run homer in the ninth.
Coming in back-to-back at-bats, Oakland registered their first two runs in the fifth inning when redshirt sophomore center fielder
Drew Collins and sophomore third baseman
Brandon Nigh both singled to right field. The Golden Grizzlies' final tally came in the ninth when sophomore
Peter Jelenic, who began the frame with a pinch-hit double, stole third and was able to score when the throw from sophomore catcher David Novak sailed into left field.
Redshirt senior shortstop
Thomas Green and Nigh collected two hits apiece for Oakland and redshirt sophomore
Reagan Paulina went 1-3 in his first start of the season behind the dish.
UP NEXT
Returning to Horizon League play and continuing their extended string of games at the Oakland Baseball Field, the Golden Grizzlies will begin a three-game set with the Milwaukee Panthers (9-12, 1-4) on Friday, March 31 at 2:30 p.m. in a contest that will air live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Saturday, April 1 at 2 p.m. and the Sunday, April 2 finale is slated for 1 p.m.
