MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Rounding out their home-and-home series with the Chippewas, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies were defeated by Central Michigan, 8-2, on Tuesday, April 25 at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.

With the loss, the Golden Grizzlies' four-game win streak comes to an end an Oakland is now 18-23 (10-8 Horizon League), while the Chippewas have now won 10 in a row and are 27-13 (13-5 Mid-American Conference).

The second of six Golden Grizzly pitchers on the 50-degree afternoon in Mid-Michigan, freshman right-hander Jaxson Easterlin took the loss, dropping him to 1-3. Entering with two outs in the second, he finished his day with a line of three runs (two earned) on two hits with two walks and a strikeout over one inning.

Eldridge, Iowa junior lefty Jake Matthaidess started for Oakland and allowed one run on a hit with three walks and two strikeouts in his 1.2 frames.

His fourth of the year, Golden Grizzlies sophomore third baseman Brandon Nigh started the scoring with a home run to left in the first. After Central Michigan evened it back up in their half of the first, Oakland played long ball again and put themselves back on top, 2-1, in the third, this time with redshirt sophomore center fielder Drew Collins drilling his seventh of the campaign to right field.

Following graduate student shortstop Justin Simpson tying the tilt at two by scoring on a throwing error, Groveport, Ohio redshirt sophomore first baseman Robby Morgan IV put the Chippewas ahead for the first time, 4-2, with his first of two home runs on the day in the third.

Morgan's second round-tripper extended the Central Michigan lead to 6-2 in the fifth and the Chippewas added on their last two runs in the sixth.

In addition to Collins and Nigh, redshirt senior shortstop Thomas Green, junior catcher Brandon Heidal and redshirt sophomore right fielder Reagan Paulina contributed to the Golden Grizzlies' total of five hits.

Ripping a double down the right field line to leadoff the eighth, Paulina's two-base hit was his first of the season and the former Novi Detroit Catholic Central Shamrock also prevented Central Michigan from adding a ninth run onto their total by gunning out a tagging Simpson at third base to end the seventh.

Throwing 1.2 scoreless innings in the third and fourth, Shorewood, Illinois junior righty Ben Vitas (2-1) picked up the win for the Chippewas.

UP NEXT
Returning to Horizon League play, Oakland will begin a three-game series with the Wright State Raiders in Rochester on Friday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Entering Friday at 23-17 (13-5), Wright State is in first place in the Horizon League, three games above the third-place Golden Grizzlies in the loss column.