ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland Golden Grizzlies baseball team is back in the Den for the final time this season for a midweek match to face Akron on Tuesday, May 12. Action kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET at the OU Baseball Field with Ryan Cuddy on the call on ESPN+.

Despite a strong showcase from the Oakland bullpen, the Golden Grizzlies dropped the weekend series at Notre Dame, facing the Irish for the first time since 2010.

Oakland opened its weekend series at Notre Dame with a hard-fought 2-0 loss Friday night at Frank Eck Stadium. Despite the defeat, freshman Ben Green delivered one of his strongest outings of the season, tossing six innings while allowing just two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. The Golden Grizzlies managed two hits offensively against a Notre Dame pitching staff that struck out 12 batters, keeping the game close throughout behind Green's steady work on the mound.

On Saturday, Oakland fell 15-5 after Notre Dame used an eight-run fifth inning to pull away. The Golden Grizzlies showed offensive power early, highlighted by home runs from Lucas Day and Kyle Revere. Day finished with two RBIs, while Sam Griffith also drove in a pair of runs as Oakland continued to battle offensively against the Irish. 

Oakland closed the series Sunday with a 9-3 loss but turned in one of its stronger offensive performances of the weekend with 10 hits, including four doubles. Aidan Schuck paced the lineup with three hits, two doubles, and two runs scored, while Ben Clark added two hits and an RBI. Jaxson Easterlin also contributed offensively as the Golden Grizzlies continued to compete late against a Notre Dame team that entered the game riding a lengthy winning streak.

OU topped both in-state Big Ten opponents in midweeks this season for the first time since 2016. The Golden Grizzlies beat Michigan in an exciting comeback, 7-6, on March 24 before taking care of Michigan State in East Lansing, 11-9, on April 9.

The Golden Grizzlies are fourth in the Horizon League with a team batting average of .265, as junior Ben Clark leads OU with a .339 average with 58 hits in 171 plate appearances. From the mound, freshman Ben Green leads the Oakland starters with a 5.87 ERA in 11 appearances, drawing up 34 strikeouts and a win.


SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron opened the non-conference slate with a rocky start contributing to an overall 21-30 record before taking MAC conference series against UMass and Ohio this season to place 11-19 in the league. The Zips are led offensively by Brody Chrisman with a .367 average and 71 hits for fifth in the MAC. From the bump, Brady Bowen is sporting a 4.35 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched this season.

The Zips and Golden Grizzlies have met eight times in program history of late, Oakland holds the strong upperhand with a 7-1 all-time record against Akron. Having last played in the Den back in March 2025, OU won that game 8-2.