ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland Golden Grizzlies Baseball team will head down to Ann Arbor for a Tuesday evening meeting with the Michigan Wolverines on March 24. First pitch from Ray Fisher Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET with Zach Edwards and Michael Friedman on the call.
Oakland dropped two of three games to Northern Kentucky in its first Horizon League home series of the season, closing the weekend with an 8–4 victory Sunday at the Oakland Baseball Field. The Golden Grizzlies moved to 4–17 overall and 3–3 in conference play after responding to a pair of early setbacks with a strong finish in the series finale.
Northern Kentucky opened the weekend with a 9–6 win Friday, using a decisive five-run third inning to take control before holding off a late Oakland rally in the ninth. Oakland outhit the Norse in the opener and received multi-hit efforts from several contributors, including three hits from Sam Patton and two RBIs from Kyle Revere. Ben Clark added a triple as part of his continued success at the plate, while George Hansen provided a strong relief outing with 3.2 innings and five strikeouts.
In Saturday's contest, Northern Kentucky again used a pair of big middle innings to secure a 13–8 victory despite a steady offensive effort from the Golden Grizzlies. Aidan Schuck highlighted Oakland's performance, continuing to produce offensively as the team totaled eight runs, including a three-run push in the seventh inning. However, five-run frames in both the fifth and sixth innings allowed the Norse to pull away late.
Oakland responded in Sunday's finale with one of its most complete performances of the weekend, jumping out to an early lead and maintaining control in an 8–4 win. The Golden Grizzlies plated three runs in the first inning and added two more in the fourth to build early separation. Clark contributed a home run in the victory as Oakland capitalized on timely hitting and limited Northern Kentucky's offensive momentum to secure the series-closing win.
Clark is seventh in the Horizon League with a .311 average at the plate, picking up 19 hits and six extra-base hits. Revere leads the Oakland hitters with 25 hits on the season and has earned two home runs in the long ball game. From the Oakland bullpen, Ben Green is leading the starters with a 3.32 ERA and 12 strikeouts as Luke Riggs holds a 3.18 ERA in relief appearances. Tanner Ware has sat down the most batters this season, with 17 K's at the plate.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is coming off a series loss to Nebraska, opening with a 2-0 win before dropping the final two games, 10-0 and 9-5. Kurt Barr highlighted the weekend with a dominant Friday outing, striking out 10 across seven innings. Brayden Jefferis paced the Wolverines at the plate against Nebraska, hitting .364 with four hits and two RBIs while starting all three games at third base. The Wolverines have found success in midweek play this season, earning wins over Western Michigan (3-2) and Michigan State (2-0) at Ray Fisher Stadium.
Michigan holds the upperhand in the series with a 31-6 record against Oakland. The last W for the Black and Gold came in 2023 with a 4-1 victory at Ray Fisher Stadium. Last year in Ann Arbor, the Golden Grizzlies and Wolverines pushed it to 10 innings as Oakland led 7-6 until the ninth, before Michigan settled in with two bases-loaded walks.
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