ROCHESTER, Mich. – On a hot opening day of 2023 #HLSB Tournament play, Oakland University Softball rocketed away with a 10-2, six-inning win over No. 5 seed, and host, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay at King Park.
An eventful bottom of the first inning showed its flowering face in the day's heat as the bases were loaded with Allisa DiPrima coming up to bat following an error, a double by Jen Krizka, and a walk preceded the junior.
DiPrima poked a bouncer over to the shortstop whose throw was not in time at home plate with the catcher's foot off the bag as Madi Herrington slid across the turf. A sac fly by Leah Bieniewicz in the following at-bat brought Krizka home for a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
After two hit batters in the top of the second, the bases were loaded with the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Sydney Campbell, in the circle with a 1-2 count. The Green Bay batter sliced the yellow over to the glove of Bieniewicz over at first base for the third and final out of the scary half-inning.
Freshman Kamryn Troyer planted a sure-fire triple to the left field wall with Brown reaching in the subsequent at-bat with the ball falling out of the third baseman's glove. The Golden Grizzlies had the bases loaded for the second inning in a row with Herrington's walk.
Reese Ruhlman then clobbered a three-RBI double in the left-center gap for the 5-0 lead with two outs, forcing a Phoenix pitching change. A solo home run by Green Bay put their first run up on the board then three-straight outs retired the side.
Bieniewicz's ball off the bat wasn't slow enough for the Green Bay dive at shortstop as the junior moved over to second off Taylor Carraway's sacrifice bunt to the pitcher in the bottom of the third, nothing more coming out of it with the inning ending on a looking strikeout.
With the score 5-1 in the top of the fifth, another home run by the Phoenix made it 5-2 with the game getting down to its last pieces. In the bottom of the frame, Bieniewicz planted a lead-off single to left field, advancing to second from Carraway's bunt with a double play ending the threat by Green Bay.
Troyer singled to shortstop, moving over Carraway to third as Brown came up to the plate. The Rochester, Indiana native delivered a single up the middle, advancing over to second on the throw as it brought both freshmen across for the five-run lead at 7-2.
Brown was then brought home off an RBI single by Herrington as the scoring floodgates in the bottom of the fifth. Herrington brought the second baseman home by dropping a ball into center field as a fly-out to right retired the side with the game 8-2.
Ruhlman continues her career day with a lead-off double in the bottom of the sixth, moving over to third via DiPrima's bunt that squeezes past the pitcher. Bieniewicz sent the senior home with a sac fly into left field to make the game 9-2.
DiPrima outran the third baseman with the catcher's throw trickling past the glove and into left field, igniting the green light for the center fielder to score and win the game outright in six innings.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Ruhlman went 3-3 with three RBI and two doubles
- Troyer knocked a triple, Krizka the third double; Brown finished with two stolen bases
- Campbell picks up her 18th win of the season
- Oakland has now won their opening round game two seasons in a row
The Golden Grizzlies will play the winner of No. 2 Robert Morris and No. 3 Northern Kentucky tomorrow, May 12, at 3:30 pm ET at King Park on ESPN+.
