ROCHESTER, Mich. - Oakland continued to add to their mid-season momentum as they went 2-0 against IUPUI in a midweek matchup.

Game 1

With an early morning opener to the series, the teams took the field at 10 a.m. to get things going.

The Jags struck the opening run in the bottom of the first as Victoria Sivert lined a two-out RBI single to right field, handing IUPUI the early 1-0 lead.

The Golden Grizzlies wouldn't trail for long as they responded in the bottom portion of the opening frame. Brooklyn Plitz led Oakland's half off with a single to left field, extending her hitting streak to eight games. Maci Brown added to her own streak, singling the very next at bat to increase her streak to nine games. After both runners advanced a base, Reese Ruhlman delivered a two RBI single up the middle, giving Oakland a 2-1 advantage.

After a scoreless second inning from both sides, the Golden Grizzlies threatened to add on to their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Brown delivered hit number two with a powerful one-out triple to left field that nearly left the field. The next at-bat Krizka slid a single through the left side of the field, allowing Brown to waltz home for a 3-1 Oakland lead.

Sydney Campbell continued to not allow opposing teams to run up the score, allowing just two hits in innings three through five to keep Oakland in the lead.

With the two run lead heading into the final three innings, Oakland tacked on a little more insurance in the bottom of the fifth. Krizka delivered her second hit of the day, driving a ball deep to left center field for a one-out RBI double to score Plitz and add another run to the lead as Oakland led 4-1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning the Jags refused to go without a fight, starting with a leadoff single from Kennedy Cowan. After Cowan advanced to second base on a Sivert groundout, Rachael Gregory knocked an RBI double up the middle, pulling the Jags back within striking distance, trailing 4-2. A seasoned veteran in the circle, Campbell stayed composed and forced a fly and ground out to end the inning.

To cap off her 14th start allowing two or fewer runs of the season, Campbell retired three of the final four batters to secure a 4-2 Oakland win. 

Five Golden Grizzlies achieved two hits in the contest, as Plitz went 2-of-4 while Brown, Krizka, Ruhlman, and Troyer all went 2-of-3 front he plate, showing dominance from the top of the lineup. The offensive show marked the fifth time in the last seven games Oakland has gone for over 10 hits as a team.

Game 2

After a top notch performance in game one, Campbell returned to start game two for Oakland in the circle.

In a much more methodical game, Oakland did all they needed to do to win at the plate in the bottom of the second inning. With the game knotted at zero, Taylor Carraway beamed a double to left field, putting a pair of runners in scoring position as Ruhlman, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, reached third base. A red-hot Troyer approached the plate and sent a high-flying ball to center field as it dropped for an RBI double to put the first runs on the board as Oakland led 1-0. In the very next at-bat, Madi Herrington hit the Golden Grizzlies' third straight double, this time scoring a pair of runners to extend the lead to 3-0. Leah Bieniewicz was hit by a pitch, Jenna Johnston reached on a fielder's choice, and Plitz was walked, all setting up Brown as she returned a pitch right up the middle of the field for a one-out RBI single, pushing the score to 4-0. After a double steal from Brown and Plitz, Krizka was walked, loading the bases with two outs. Ruhlman kept a clean eye at the plate, drawing a walk of her own as the Golden Grizzlies walked home for another run to go up 5-0 before the inning's end.

IUPUI's only real threat to score came in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs already on the board, Paige McPhearson drew a walk, moving to second on a Kaise Keyes single. An errand throw from Krizka to Bieniewicz to try and pick off Keyes at first sailed, allowing both runners a free base. The next batter, Jordan Barnes, was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but no stranger to these situations, Campbell forced the final batter of the inning into an easy force out play to keep the Jags scoreless. 

Campbell tossed shutout number six of the season, the most in the league. She gave up just one walk and forced 13 ground outs, never letting IUPUI get under the ball for potential big hits.

Tossing 14 innings total on the day, Campbell mixed up pitches throughout both games, keeping the Jags guessing and never allowing the momentum to swing away from Oakland.

While not as hot at the plate as they were in game one, Oakland still tallied seven hits and did an amazing job at finding the gaps in the defense, especially up the middle and in right center field. Troyer and Harrington both went 2-of-3, combining for three RBI. Troyer's pair of two-hit games have her on an eight game hitting streak where she is hitting 14-of-25 (.560) in the span. Brown joined Troyer, going 1-of-3 to also reach an eight game streak, batting 12-of-26 (.461) over the stretch.



Oakland gets over a week off from competition, returning to the field on Apr. 26-27 for a home series finale against Robert Morris.

FOLLOW OAKLAND

Stay up to date on everything Oakland Softball via social media platforms Instagram and Twitter @OaklandSoftball.