ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland Golden Grizzlies baseball team is back on the road for its penultimate midweek game to take on Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant. Action begins at 3 p.m. ET with streaming available on CMUChippewas.com.
Oakland dropped all three games of its Horizon League series against Wright State at the Oakland Baseball Field, showing flashes offensively but struggling to contain key innings from the Raiders.
Friday's opener, the Golden Grizzlies fell 8-4 despite a late push, as a five-run sixth inning by Wright State proved decisive; Oakland totaled 12 hits, with contributions from Ben Clark and Kyle Revere, while Ethan Glassman worked into the sixth on the mound.
On Saturday, Oakland held Wright State scoreless through the first five innings but couldn't sustain momentum in a 6-1 loss. Carter Hain provided the lone run with a solo home run, while the Raiders broke through late with a multi-run eighth inning to secure the series win.
The finale saw Wright State complete the sweep with a dominant 16-2 run-rule victory. Ben Clark homered to lead off for Oakland and added another long ball in a strong individual performance, but the Raiders' offense erupted for 16 runs on 16 hits to put the game out of reach early.
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 third in the Horizon League with a team batting average of .272, as junior Ben Clark leads OU with a .349 average with 53 hits in 152 plate appearances. From the mound, freshman Josh Rosenblitt leads the Oakland starters with a 5.87 ERA in eight appearances, drawing up 16 strikeouts and a 1-2 record.
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
Head coach Jake Sabol and the Chippewas are posting a 19-27 (9-18 MAC) record in 2026, taking series wins over Toledo, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, and Ohio. CMU is led on offense by Drew Loikits with a .325 batting average and 52 hits on the season. In the bullpen, right-hander Hayden Bailey is posting a 5.34 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 14 appearances on the bump.
Oakland put together a strong offensive showing with 11 hits but came up short in an 11–6 loss to Central Michigan at Oakland Baseball Field back in April. The Golden Grizzlies battled throughout, using a home run and a multi-run push in the middle innings to stay within reach and keep pressure on the Chippewas. Despite leaving several runners on base, Oakland continued to generate opportunities at the plate, showing resilience against a Central Michigan team that scored in six different innings.
How to Follow Oakland Baseball: For complete information on Oakland Baseball, follow the team on X at @OaklandBSB and head coach Brian Nelson at @CoachNelly11. The team is also on Instagram.
