ROCHESTER, Mich. – Securing their fourth Horizon League series win in six tries so far this season, the Golden Grizzlies swept a Thursday, April 20 doubleheader with the Youngstown State Penguins at the Oakland Baseball Field, winning the first game, 5-3, and the second, 9-4.

Extending their win streak to three games, the Golden Grizzlies improve to 17-22 (9-8 Horizon League) with the pair of victories, while Youngstown State falls to 7-31 (3-12).

GAME 1

Oakland 5, Youngstown State 3

Scoring their first two runs of the tilt in the second inning, the Golden Grizzlies tallied the final three runs of the contest in the seventh, with the first coming on a sacrifice fly off the bat of redshirt sophomore center fielder Drew Collins and the latter two on a wild pitch and another sacrifice fly, this one by sophomore third baseman Brandon Nigh.

Sophomore right-hander Hunter Pidek made his eighth start of the year for Oakland and bounced back from a rough first inning that saw the Penguins plate all three of their runs to record a quality start, finishing his day with a line of 6.1 innings pitched, nine hits, three earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts on 110 pitches.

Graduate student lefty Christian Stelling held Youngstown State hitless over the final 2.2 innings to earn his second win of the campaign, walking and striking out one.

Recorded by senior left fielder Ian Cleary, graduate student shortstop Thomas Green, redshirt senior first baseman Luke Malmanger and Nigh, the Golden Grizzlies registered four doubles among their six hits and Green and Malmanger both stole a base in the game.

GAME 2

Oakland 9, Youngstown State 4

The inverse of Game 1, which saw the Penguins jump out to a 3-0 first-inning lead, the Golden Grizzlies scored seven times in the first frame of Game 2, knocking Gibsonia, Pennsylvania freshman left-hander Cam Marshalwitz out of the game after he recorded just two outs.

Oakland junior designated hitter Ryan Dykstra hit a two-run home run to right center in the seventh inning and graduate student first baseman Gabe Lux went 2-4 with a double and an RBI.

Evening his season record at 2-2, redshirt senior righty Sean Fekete started for the Golden Grizzlies and went the first five innings, allowing the four runs on seven hits with a strikeout.

Like Stelling in Game 1, junior right-hander Brandon Decker did not give up a Youngstown State hit out of the bullpen and earned his third save by handling the final 12 outs.

UP NEXT
These two will round out their three-game set on Friday, April 21 in a game that is currently scheduled for 2 p.m., but could be pushed back due to the possibility of rain in Rochester. @OaklandBSB on Twitter will have updates regarding any time change.

Senior lefty Travis Densmore (3-4, 6.86 ERA, 39.1 IP) will start for the Golden Grizzlies and we will have the rare Travis vs. Travis showdown, as fifth-year senior right-hander Travis Perry (3-3, 4.46 ERA, 42.1 IP) will go for the Penguins.