ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies baseball team preps for its last road games before its home opener as it takes the short trip to Ann Arbor for a sole game against the Wolverines Wednesday, followed by a weekend series at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (3-7, 0-0 HL) look to end its four-game skip after it left the state of Ohio empty handed. After its Wednesday matchup against Bellarmine was canceled due to field conditions, the Golden Grizzlies quickly rescheduled to play Thursday (Feb. 29) against Cincinnati. After it fell, 9-6, the team went on to Oxford, Ohio to face Miami University but fell in all three games.
 
The Golden Grizzlies played catch up in all four of its games in Ohio, as the Bearcats tallied four runs early in the sole game. The Golden Grizzlies added two runs to ease the score, but the Bearcats grabbed a pair in back-to-back innings to extend the lead to 8-2. The Golden Grizzlies nearly completed the comeback as it scored four in the seventh, but Cincinnati went on to take the game, 9-6.
 
Combined between the three games against Miami, the RedHawks scored a combined 11 runs in the first innings and a total of 21 in the first third of the game. Oakland fell behind early, 6-0, in game one and couldn't claw back as it eventually fell, 21-7. Once again, in game two, Miami scored four runs in the first two innings but the Golden Grizzlies tied things up for the first time in the series with a four-run third inning as the game remained tied until the fifth. The RedHawks went on to score the next four runs before Oakland tried to comeback with a pair between the final two innings, but the RedHawks got the better of the Golden Grizzlies and won, 8-6.
 
The RedHawks kept up its pace in the series as it saw five runners cross the plate before Oakland tallied its first runs. Brandon Nigh got the team back in the game as he cleared the bases off a double, followed by getting batted in from an Ian Cleary double. The four runs weren't enough, however, as the RedHawks scored in all but one inning and took the series finale.
 
Reggie Bussey leads the team in hits with 16 as he holds a .400 batting average and five RBI. Lucas Day holds the team lead in RBI with 11 as he's smacked 10 hits on the season in 28 at bats. Only five Golden Grizzlies has played and started in all ten games as Cleary leads Oakland with four doubles.
 
Shane McAlinden will get the nod for the sole game against the Wolverines after he made his first start against Cincinnati. The freshman let up six hits in three innings as he struck out four batters. On the season, in four appearances, McAlinden has seven strikeouts with eight hits allowed.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
The Wolverines (4-8, 0-0 Big Ten) enter the weekday series on a two-game losing streak after going 1-2 in the Dodgertown Classic in Irvine, Calif. The Wolverines opened the classic with a tight win, 4-3, over UCLA, but suffered its two-straight losses to UC Irvine, 12-4, followed by a loss against San Diego, 9-1.
 
University of Michigan opened its season against in-state foe Western Michigan and fell in extra innings its first two games, but got the better of the Broncos in its next two games. The Wolverines competition this year has been tough, as it squared off against Oregon State and Arkansas back-to-back, both teams ranked in the top-10 of the NCAA. University of Michigan lost in seven against no. 7 Oregon State, 11-1, but nearly beat no. 2 Arkansas as it rallied in the eighth and ninth for its three runs but fell, 4-3.
 
It's the 15th matchup since 2000 between the Golden Grizzlies and the Wolverines as all 15 came on the road for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are 6-9 but have won the last two games against the Wolverines. Oakland handled University of Michigan two years ago (March 30, 2022) as it tallied 14 runs in a big 14-7 win in Ann Arbor. The team kept it rolling into next season as the Golden Grizzlies won, 4-1, with the Wolverines sole run coming in the ninth. From the 2023 game, Cleary is the only active Golden Grizzly to have recorded a RBI in the win as Brandon Heidal, Bussey, Noah Stants and Brandon Decker all saw the field.
 
University of Michigan has gotten outhit, 114-87, this season and hold an overall batting average of .220. The team has given up 12 home runs while hitting eight of its own while striking out 118 times. The Wolverines are nearly perfect on the base pads as its only got caught stealing twice off 17 attempts.
 
Only four Wolverines have started in all 12 games as Mitch Voit leads the team with 17 hits on the season. The two-way player has a .333 batting average with six RBI, six doubles, a triple and a home run. Right ahead of him is Jonathan Kim who leads the team with seven RBI off his 12 hits while tied for the team lead with two home runs.
 
Voit, also a starting pitcher, earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and is second on the team in ERA with 6.00. He holds a 1-1 record in three starts and has an opponent batting average of .235, Chase Allen is the only Wolverine pitcher with a winning record as he's 2-0 in two starts while holds a 4.30 ERA for best amongst starting pitchers.
 
First pitch from Ray Fisher Stadium is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 6.
 
SCOUTING THE VAQUEROS
The Vaqueros (6-4, 0-0 WAC) also opened its season with a loss in extra innings against Rhode Island, but followed it up with five-straight wins which included a sweep against Horizon League's Milwaukee. Since then, however, the Vaqueros have gone 1-3 as its set to take on Incarnate Word today (March 5) before its weekend matchup against the Golden Grizzlies. The Vaqueros handled Milwaukee as it outscored the Panthers, 20-4, with 15 of its runs coming in the series closer as UTRGV took care of business, 15-3.
 
UTRGV has only given up 72 hits as it has recorded 87 on the year while doubling its opponents runs, 71-35. The team holds an overall batting average of .269 and holds its opponents to .218 and has been struck out 93 times.
 
The Vaqueros have a trio of players who have started in all 10 games this season as CJ Valdez leads that pack with a .324 batting average. With his 11 hits, he holds the team lead in RBI with 12 as he's hit two home runs, a triple and a double. Amongst the team, Steven Lancia holds the team lead for batting average with .485 and has batted in seven runners.
 
Jacob Limas holds a 2-0 record for the Vaqueros and has started in three games this season. He holds a team-best .64 ERA and has allowed less than 10 hits, with eight, and has only one earned run in 14.0 innings pitched.
 
First pitch for game one from UTRGV Baseball Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, March 8.