ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies used a six-run second inning to lift itself over the Northern Kentucky Norse, 7-3, this afternoon on the Oakland Baseball Field.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (20-18, 10-7 HL) were led by Shane McAlinden who set a career-high with nine strikeouts as he walked no batters in six innings pitched. From the dish, Reggie Bussey and Brandon Heidal led the team with a pair of hits each as four different batters recorded a RBI.
 
The Norse (24-14, 12-5 HL) were led by Liam McFadden-Ackman who recorded a trio of hits while Brennan Rowe led the team with a pair of RBI.
 
Unlike the game before, it was the Golden Grizzlies that struck first as it tallied six runs in the second inning to go up, 6-0. Brandon Heidal and Lucas Day got on base off hits as Trent Rice worked an 0-2 count into a walk to load the bases with no outs. Sam Griffith then worked towards a full count and was walked to bring home the first run of the ball game. A Reggie Bussey single added the Golden Grizzlies second run, followed up by a John Lauinger single to keep the bases juiced with no outs.
 
Oakland took advantage of the Norse pitching as three balls in the dirt resulted in wild pitches and brought home a trio of runs on different pitches to take the 6-0 lead. The Norse nearly tacked on its first run of the game as a ball seemed to leave the outfield, but Lauinger lept to try and rob the home run, bounced off his glove onto the field, as Bussey dove before the ball hit the ground to get the out. The Norse answered with a pair of its own to cut into the Golden Grizzlies lead and make it a four-run game.
 
The game was held at a stalemate for the next three innings as Oakland didn't add another run until the eighth inning. Heidal smacked a ball high into center as the center fielder lost the ball in the air as he raced towards third. Lucas Day sent him home on a ground out as the team scored an insurance run to go up, 7-2. The Norse added one in the ninth off a home run but the Golden Grizzlies locked down to even the series with the win, 7-3.
 
Although the team scored four more runs, the Norse outhit the Golden Grizzlies, 10-7, as Northern Kentucky committed a pair of errors while Oakland was perfect on the field. The Norse left 10 runners stranded as the Golden Grizzlies only left three, while Oakland totaled 13 strikeouts with one walk while Northern Kentucky struck out nine with four walks allowed.
 
The Golden Grizzlies return to the diamond for the final game of the weekend series against the Norse with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.