ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies are set to open up league play as it heads to Wright State for a weekend series, with a sole trip to Louisville beforehand, continuing its 22-game road trip.
The team heads to Louisville, Ky., to face Power-4 University of Louisville tomorrow (March 12), with first pitch slated for 8:00 p.m. ET. The team then opens up Horizon League play with a three-game series against Wright State (March 14-16), with first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively, all eastern time. Wednesday's game will be streamed live on the ACC Network, with Friday's game live on ESPN+.
Oakland looks to bounce back as it dropped its four road games last week.
John Lauinger leads the team with 21 hits, good for a .350 batting average, as
Matthew McGann leads the team with 13 RBI.
Brandon Nigh leads the team with six doubles as a trio of players have recorded a triple. On the mound,
Grant Garman leads the starting rotation with 15 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched as he and
Hunter Pidek have given up 24 hits.
As a team, the Golden Grizzlies hit at a .256 clip while allowing an average of .322. Oakland has 145 hits with 22 doubles, three triples and eight home runs, good for 68 RBI. Oakland has struck out 88 batters with 74 walks, as the Golden Grizzlies have given up 179 hits and 12 home runs.
Game 1 (Wednesday, March 5): Akron 11, Oakland 5
The Golden Grizzlies baseball team fell to the Akron Zips, 11-5, on the road at Skeels Field, despite a strong performance from
John Lauinger and
Boston Halloran, who each recorded three hits. Oakland took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but Akron responded with a home run and later broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run fourth inning. Although the Golden Grizzlies put together a three-run sixth inning to cut the deficit, the Zips added runs in the later innings to secure the victory.
Game 2 (Friday, March 7): Middle Tennessee 8, Oakland 4
The Golden Grizzlies took an early lead, but Middle Tennessee responded with a two-run homer in the first inning. Oakland regained the lead in the fifth after a
Carter Hain home run and a
Matthew McGann RBI, but the Blue Raiders surged ahead with a four-run sixth inning. Despite a late RBI double from
Brandon Nigh, Oakland's comeback attempt fell short in an 8-4 loss.
Game 3 (Saturday, March 8): Middle Tennessee 6, Oakland 5 (11 Inn.)
Oakland jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind
Matthew McGann's two-run single, but Middle Tennessee answered with a five-run second inning. The game remained 5-3 until the ninth, when
Aidan Schuck's clutch single drove in two runs to force extra innings. Despite escaping a jam in the 10th, Oakland fell in the 11th on a walk-off single, losing 6-5.
Game 4 (Sunday, March 9): Middle Tennessee 5, Oakland 0
Strong pitching and solid defense defined the game early, with both teams leaving multiple runners stranded. Middle Tennessee broke through in the fourth inning, scoring three runs and later adding two more in the seventh. Oakland struggled offensively and was held hitless, ultimately falling, 5-0.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals (12-2, 0-0 ACC) enter the game on a five-game win streak as it's beat #12 Arizona and #7 Texas on the season. The Cardinals face Lipscomb before the Golden Grizzlies, as the team is 10-1 at home. Oakland is the first of two Horizon League teams the Cardinals will face, as it hosts Northern Kentucky March 18.
Jake Munroe leads the team with 26 hits, good for a .473 batting average, as Tague Davis leads the team with 18 RBI. Davis also leads the team with five home runs, as Zion Rose is the only other batter with 20+ hits. On the mound, Patrick Forbes leads the rotation with a 1.29 ERA in 21.0 innings pitched as he also holds the team lead with 39 strikeouts.
As a team, the Cardinals hit at a .338 clip and allow a mark of .252 as it has knocked down 162 hits. The team has allowed 116 hits and 15 home runs and have struck out 72 times. Its pitching core has struck out 148 batters with 53 walks, as the Cardinals have been walked 70 times.
This marks the fourth time the Golden Grizzlies will face the Cardinals as Oakland is 0-3 overall, with all three meetings coming from a series in 2012. In the three games, Oakland got outscored, 23-14, as the series was played on Louisville's home field.
First pitch from Jim Patterson Stadium is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on the ACC Network.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
The Raiders (4-9, 0-0 HL) enter the week on a three-game losing streak as it fell to NC State on the road and got outscored, 23-10. Wright State has played a handful of ranked games this season, facing #25 Auburn and #24 Ole Miss, as it lost all six games by a total of 55-12. Before its series against the Golden Grizzlies, the Raiders will face Kent State at home tomorrow (March 11), as it won its sole game at home this season against Miami, 11-3.
The Golden Grizzlies are 14-54 all-time against the Raiders as it split its games last season with each team grabbing a trio of wins. On the road, the Golden Grizzlies are 9-33 against the Raiders as it won its away series, 2-1, last season.
Hunter Warren leads the Raiders with 16 hits as he's tallied one double with eight RBI. Both Boston Smith and JP Peltier lead the team with 11 RBI, as Pelter leads the team in homers with six. On the bump, starter Garrett Peter leads in the ERA category amongst starters with a 3.75, as Griffen Paige leads the team with 17 strikeouts.
As a team, the Raiders have struck out 101 batters while getting struck out 134 times. The team has hit 16 home runs and have given up the same, as it bats at a .257 average with 62 RBI. With 107 hits, the team has drawn 54 walks while giving up 70.
First pitch from Nischwitz Stadium is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
