ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies split its first home league doubleheader against Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, as it dropped the first game and won the latter, this afternoon on the Oakland Baseball Field.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (17-17, 8-6 HL) were led by Brandon Nigh and Brandon Heidal in game one with a pair of RBI each as six Oakland players recorded at least a hit. Hunter Pidek led the first game with four strikeouts. In game two, Nigh and Carter Hain paced the team with a pair of RBI as John Lauinger led the team with three hits.
 
The Mastodons (13-21, 7-7 HL) saw seven players record a hit as a pair tallied three each in game one. Mac Ayres got the win on the mound in the first game as he went 7.1 innings with four strikeouts. Ben Higgins led game two with a pair of RBI as only four batters tallied a hit.
 
GAME ONE
Purdue Fort Wayne got the game started in its second at-bats as a two-run home run put the Mastodons ahead, 2-0. The team kept it going as it scored a handful of runs the following inning to put Oakland down, 7-0, before its third crack at the bat. The Mastodons defense held it down, however, as the Golden Grizzlies only had one hit through three with no runs.
 
Brandon Nigh made up some ground in the bottom of the fourth as he hit a leadoff solo shot to cut the deficit to six. The team jacked up the bases with two outs and looked to start a rally, but a fly out put the inning to an end. The Mastodons, however, put it back to seven after five with its second home run of the contest.
 
The Golden Grizzlies comeback was losing time as the team fell behind by nine after the Mastodons got a pair in the seventh and Oakland got none. In the eighth, Lucas Day saw four balls and walked towards first, as Carter Hain sent him from first to home off a deep triple. Aidan Orr got on base before Brandon Heidal knocked Hain home to put it at 10-3. The Golden Grizzlies loaded the bases once again, but the Mastodons got away unscathed and only allowed the pair of runs.
 
Oakland had three more outs to make work of a eight-run deficit, as Purdue Fort Wayne grabbed a run in the ninth. Ian Cleary and Nigh looked to give Oakland life as they hit back-to-back home runs to make it 11-5 with no outs. Hain crossed the dish from a Heidal single after he got on from a double, but the lead was too large as the team couldn't comeback and fell, 11-6.
 
GAME TWO
The Mastodons jumped to an early one-run lead after its first at-bat, but the Golden Grizzlies answered as it juiced the bases. Hain kept his hot streak rolling as he took his second pitched towards right field and brought in a pair for the lead. Day kept it up and batted in one with a single towards center as Oakland held the lead after one, 3-1.
 
Oakland added a sole run in the second after Sam Griffith got on base and was driven in from a Cleary double. Aidan Orr bumped the lead to four after a single brought in John Lauinger to make it 5-1 after the fifth. The Mastodons went scoreless after the first until the seventh as it cut the Golden Grizzlies lead to two after a two-run home run.
 
The defense came up big though as it forced three-straight outs in the top of the eighth to give the Mastodons three more outs to try and get something going. Oakland tallied some insurance runs in the eighth to put its lead to three after Bussey got on base off an error and sent Griffith home. Nigh followed it up with a two-run single as Oakland had a five-run lead with one inning to go.
 
Brandon Decker was dialed in on the mound and closed out the game to take game two of the double header, 8-3.
 
Between the two games, the Golden Grizzlies scored 14 runs off 20 hits with two errors. The Mastodons tallied 14 runs off 18 hits with one error. Oakland left 21 runners stranded while Purdue Fort Wayne left 11 on the base pads. The Golden Grizzlies led on the bump with 15 strikeouts compared to the Mastodons 14.
 
The Golden Grizzlies return to the diamond tomorrow to close out its series against the Mastodons at home, with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.