ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies took care of business in its final home game of the season as it took down the Central Michigan Chippewas, 9-6, this afternoon on the Oakland Baseball Field.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (29-24, 16-11 HL) were led by both Brandon Heidal and Ian Cleary who each tallied a pair of hits as Cleary batted in four runs on the day. The Golden Grizzlies utilized nine pitchers in the win as four tallied a pair of strikeouts each.
 
The Chippewas (16-36, 7-20 MAC) saw Jacob Donahue as the sole player to record a pair of hits as Cole Prout batted in a pair of batters for the team lead.
 
The Golden Grizzlies got out to a quick lead as it loaded the bases with no outs, courtesy of two walks and a fielding error, as Lucas Day waited out a full count and sent one home with a walk. The team kept it rolling as Ian Cleary blasted a single through the left side as two runners came across home to put Oakland ahead after one inning, 3-0. The Chippewas answered, however, as it tacked on a trio of runs to tie the game at three apiece.
 
Oakland retook its lead as it rallied with two outs and crossed three runs across the plate to make it 6-3. After Cleary led off with a walk, Trent Rice nearly hit a homer as his double bounced off the top of the fence to bring Cleary home, as Rice sped from second to home from a Sam Griffith single. Griffith found second and then home as Ben Clark drilled a single for the third and final run of the inning.
 
Central Michigan came back with an answer again as it tallied a pair of runs in the fifth to cut the Golden Grizzlies lead to one. Oakland rallied with two outs once again in the sixth as Reggie Bussey was walked and made it to third with his 30th and 31st steal of the year. Day sent Bussey across the plate while Heidal found first off a hit pitch, while Cleary nearly went yard but was short for a double and brought in both runners to make it 9-5 Oakland.
 
The Chippewas closed the gap in the eighth with a run but the Golden Grizzlies held on to its lead to take its final home game of the season, 9-6.
 
The Golden Grizzlies outhit the Chippewas, 11-6, as Central Michigan recorded a pair of errors. Oakland utilized 21 players in the win with its nine pitchers included, as nine batters tallied at least a hit. A handful of Golden Grizzlies batted in at least a run as seven of the nine pitchers tallied at least a strikeout.
 
The Golden Grizzlies return to the diamond for its final series of the regular season as it travels to Purdue Fort Wayne for a three-game series, with game one Thursday (May 16) set for 3:00 p.m.