MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Golden Grizzlies baseball squad defeated the Milwaukee Panthers, 3-1, in a defensive showdown this afternoon at Franklin Field.
 
Despite the three runs, the Golden Grizzlies (13-16, 5-5 HL) came away with the win off one RBI as Sam Griffith batted a runner in off a hit, as Brandon Heidal and Reggie Bussey were the only others to grab a hit. Hunter Pidek recorded another quality start, with six innings pitched and no runs allowed with five strikeouts.
 
The Panthers (4-21, 3-7 HL) saw five players record at least a hit where a trio of batters knocked down a pair. Carson Hansen was the only Panther to bat in a run as the team utilized four separate pitchers.
 
Bussey got the game started with a double, but it would be the only Oakland hit until the fifth inning. In that span, however, the defense held up as it left a pair stranded in the first, second and third inning as the Panthers were threatening to put runs on the board but the Golden Grizzlies always got out of the jam. Milwaukee, once again, put a runner in scoring position with no outs, but the team carried on and forced three-straight outs to leave yet another runner stranded in the fourth.
 
Heidal broke the hitless streak with a double, as Carter Hain took one for the team and was hit by a pitch. Drew Gaskins laid down a sacrifice bunt which put Heidal 90 feet away from home with just one out, as Sam Griffith hit a fly ball far enough for Heidal to tag up and score. The Golden Grizzlies took advantage of wild pitches thrown by the Panthers, as Hain found his way from second to third off a wild pitch, followed by a score from a wild pitch. Bussey kept it up as he was walked, stole second, and advanced eventually across the plate off another wild pitch to make it 3-0.
 
The Panthers attempted a comeback as it added a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 3-1, but yet again left a runner stranded as, up until the seventh, didn't end an inning without leaving a runner on. The Golden Grizzlies didn't tack on any insurance runs, but it wasn't needed as Oakland forced three straight outs to end the game and take the series-opening win, 3-1.
 
Despite committing the only two errors on the day and only a trio of hits, compared to Milwaukee's eight, Oakland came out on top. On the bump, the Golden Grizzlies struck out seven as the Panthers matched, while Milwaukee left 11 runners stranded compared to Oakland's seven. The Golden Grizzlies only allowed a pair of walks while the team was walked five times.
 
The Golden Grizzlies continue play against the Panthers tomorrow at Franklin Field for a doubleheader due to forecasted weather, with first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. ET.