ROCHESTER, Mich. – Playing their second consecutive game against a school from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Oakland Golden Grizzlies defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 9-7, on Wednesday, April 19 at the Oakland Baseball Field.
Snapping a five-game skid, the Golden Grizzlies improve to 15-22 (7-8 Horizon League), while Eastern Michigan, who used to be known as the Hurons, is now 16-19 (6-12).
Starting for the second time in 13 appearances with Oakland, junior left-hander
Jake Matthaidess, a Kirkwood (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Community College transfer, picked up his first win as a Golden Grizzly, throwing a career-high 6.1 innings and allowing five runs, two of which scored after he exited, on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
Redshirt senior righty
Brett Hagen followed Matthaidess and worked 2.1 innings and sophomore
Brandon Nigh, who had played the duration of the contest at third base to this point, moved to the mound to record the final out, giving him his first save of the season.
Moved up to the leadoff spot Wednesday, redshirt senior shortstop
Thomas Green belted a pair of two-run home runs, the first tying the game at three in the third and the second extending the Oakland lead to 6-3 an inning later.
Making the start at catcher to give junior
Brandon Heidal a semi-day off, redshirt sophomore
Reagan Paulina threw out two would-be Eagle base stealers, one at second and the other at third, and laid down a perfect bunt that hugged the third base line for a hit two batters before Green's fourth-inning big fly.
Plymouth senior catcher Aaron Dolney hit a pair of two-run home runs of his own for Eastern Michigan and Barnesville, Ohio junior left-handed starter Jagger Jefferis (0-1) was hit with the loss.
Junior LHP Jake Matthaidess (6, right) is congratulated by teammate and graduate student Christian Stelling (left). Photograph courtesy of Ceejay Round, Oakland University Athletics.
STATISTICAL NOTES
- Green's home runs were his team-leading 7th and 8th of the season
- Nigh becomes the fifth Golden Grizzly with a save in 2023, joining junior Brandon Decker and senior Noah Stants (2 each) and Hagen and junior Ben Paugh (1 each)
GRIZZVISION WITH HEAD COACH JORDON BANFIELD
UP NEXT
Returning to Horizon League action, Oakland will play their first home doubleheader of the year on Thursday, April 20 against the Youngstown State Penguins (7-29, 3-11) with first pitch of Game 1 set for 1 p.m.
Sophomore righty
Hunter Pidek (1-1, 3.86 ERA, 37.1 IP) will start Game 1 for the Golden Grizzlies, while Howland, Ohio freshman left-hander Braden Gebhardt (0-2, 7.75 ERA, 33.2 IP) will go for Youngstown State.
