ROCHESTER, Mich. – Completing the three-game sweep and extending their win streak to four, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies bested the Youngstown State Penguins, 14-9, on Friday, April 21 at the Oakland Baseball Field.
With former Golden Grizzly standout
Cam Post in attendance, Oakland improves to 18-22 (10-8 Horizon League), while the Penguins drop to 7-32 (3-14).
Winning for the third time in his last four starts, senior left-hander
Travis Densmore threw 6.2 innings, allowing four runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Junior
Ben Paugh and senior
Noah Stants followed Densmore and combined to record the next three outs, and right-hander
Brandon Decker worked the final 1.1 innings for his fourth save.
This was Decker's second save in as many days, as he also closed out Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader by holding Youngstown State hitless over the final four frames. Over these two appearances, which spanned 5.1 shutout innings, the Farmington Hills native gave up only two hits, walked just a lone Penguin and struck out six.
Scoring twice in the first and four more times in the second, the Golden Grizzlies led 6-3 after two innings of play and held a 10-4 advantage after six.
With most of the damage coming on a grand slam by Munhall, Pennsylvania senior left fielder Andre Good, Youngstown State cut it to one, 10-9, with a five-run eighth, but Oakland tallied four runs in their half of the inning, kickstarted by junior catcher
Brandon Heidal's leadoff double, to bring the score to its eventual final.
This was Heidal's seventh double of the year and he has now hit safely in eight-straight games, raising his batting average by 36 points over this stretch to .238.
Paced by three apiece from senior right fielder
Ian Cleary and graduate student first baseman
Gabe Lux, the Golden Grizzlies registered 13 hits Friday, with redshirt sophomore center fielder
Drew Collins also having a multiple-knock day.
Oil City, Pennsylvania fifth-year senior righty Travis Perry (3-4) was hit with the loss for the Penguins, finishing his day with a line of nine runs (five earned) on seven hits with three walks and a trio of strikeouts over five innings.
Poland, Ohio senior third baseman Braeden O'Shaughnessy led the charge offensively for Youngstown State, collecting three of the team's 11 hits, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania center fielder Turner Grau, a fellow senior, went 2-5, including a solo home run in the sixth inning.
GRIZZVISION WITH HEAD COACH JORDON BANFIELD
UP NEXT
Rounding out their home-and-home with the Chippewas, Oakland will next be in action on Tuesday, April 25 when they head to Mount Pleasant to play Central Michigan at 3 p.m.
