ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies capitalized off a five-run eighth inning to defeat the Milwaukee Panthers, 8-3, this afternoon on the Oakland Baseball Field.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (27-24, 15-11 HL) were led by Ben Clark who tallied a trio of hits as Lucas Day and Reggie Bussey tallied a pair of hits each. Tanner Ware struck out five in six innings to lead the Golden Grizzlies pitching core.
 
The Panthers (16-32, 11-15 HL) saw Zach Lane lead the team as the only player with a pair of hits as he led the day with three RBI. Starter Adrian Montilva led the pitching squad with five strikeouts.
 
The Golden Grizzlies got off to a quick start as Reggie Bussey used his speed to beat out a dribbler towards second and sped home off a Brandon Nigh double. Night stole third and reached home on the same sequence off a throwing error to make it 2-0. Oakland kept it rolling as Ben Clark and Sam Griffith got on base, followed by another Bussey hit up the middle to bring Clark home from second.
 
Oakland held on to its three-run lead until the top of the sixth as the Panthers knotted things up with a three-run shot. The Panthers almost got things rolling in the eight as it converted off a Golden Grizzlies error, but Brandon Decker, who came in for relief, picked off the runner and finished the inning with a strikeout.
 
The game neared the final frame still knotted up at three, but Oakland erupted for five runs in the eighth for a comfortable lead heading into the final frame. Nigh saw four-straight balls and found second off a stolen base to follow, while Brandon Heidal drilled a triple towards right field to bring him in. Lucas Day followed suit with a double to bring in a second run, followed by a single turned triple from a fielding error for Ben Clark. Ian Cleary and Sam Griffith each tallied a RBI as the Golden Grizzlies went ahead, 8-3, after the eighth.
 
Seven Golden Grizzlies tallied at least a hit as four Panthers tallied at least a hit. The Golden Grizzlies outhit the Panthers, 11-5, as Milwaukee committed a pair of errors compared to Oakland's one. Oakland left five runners stranded while Milwaukee left four.
 
The Golden Grizzlies return to the diamond tomorrow to wrap up its weekend series against the Panthers, live on ESPN+, at 1:00 p.m. ET.