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UNLEASH THE GRIZZ

Oakland University Athletics

Scoreboard

BSB vs Rochester
3
Winner Youngstown State YSU 3-17, 2-2 Horizon
2
Oakland OAK 7-14, 0-4 Horizon
Winner
Youngstown State YSU
3-17, 2-2 Horizon
3
Final
2
Oakland OAK
7-14, 0-4 Horizon
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Youngstown State YSU 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 12 1
Oakland OAK 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0

W: GEHRING, J. (2-3) L: Decker, Brandon (1-3) S: DOMKE, C. (2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Jordan Nelson

Sam Griffith Homers, but Golden Grizzlies Fall Short in Series Opener at YSU

YOUNGSTOWN, Oh. - The Golden Grizzlies trekked to Youngstown to take on the Penguins in their second series of league play.

YSU struck first in the top of the first inning, using a pair of singles from Trey Law and Alejandro Covas, followed by a two-out double from Ian Francis to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead. Hunter Pidek earned his fifth start on the mound and stopped the bleeding for Oakland, striking out the final batter to change the sides and keep YSU's lead minimal.

Oakland threatened in the bottom of the first as Reggie Bussy drew a leadoff walk. The speedy sophomore who ranks in the top 25 in the nation in stolen bases did just that, stealing second and third base during the inning, putting an Oakland runner in scoring position with two outs. The Golden Grizzlies stalled to end the inning as Bussey was thrown out at home plate to end the first.

Brandon Heidal scored his first hit of the day, leading off the bottom of the second with a single to center field. Later in the inning he moved to second base after a past ball, placing the tying run on second base for the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland once again was unable to convert, striking out twice to end the inning and still trailing 1-0.

Pidek bounced back from the first inning, dealing over the next three innings on the mound. He threw back to back 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, giving up just one hit over the next three innings, allowing just a single base runner over the period, keeping Oakland within striking range.

The Penguins added a run to their lead in the top of the fifth inning behind a two-out RBI double from Brett Stanley, pushing their lead to 2-0 just over halfway through the game. Oakland turned the tide in the bottom of the inning as John Lauinger slapped a leadoff double to left field. With the tying run once again on base, Sam Griffith made sure to bring this one across the plate, slamming a two-run home run over the left field gate to tie the game, 2-2 and swaying the momentum in their favor.

With the game winding down, YSU made another push to try and retake the lead. With two outs RJ Sherwood hit a double to left field with a runner on first. The penguins tested the defense of Oakland, sending the runner home where he was thrown out after a perfect throw from Lauinger to the cutoff at shortstop, Griffith, where he relayed the throw to Heidal behind the plate for the tag to end the top half of the inning.

YSU retook the lead in the top of the eighth inning with a one-out Matt Thompson RBI double, moving the score to 3-2. The Golden Grizzlies were unable to manufacture and offense, going hitless in the final two innings as they fell 3-2 in the series opener with YSU.

Bussey, Brandon Nigh, Heidal, Lauinger, and Griffith all earned a hit in the game, with Griffith's being a two-run homer scoring both runs for the Golden Grizzlies.

Pidek and Decker split the duties on the mound. Pidek pitched six innings, allowing nine hits and striking out six batters. Decker came in as relief and tossed three innings and three strikeouts, allowing just three hits and one run.

The Golden Grizzlies plan to take the field again tomorrow at 7 p.m. for game number two of the series, followed by a series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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