The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Baseball earned a comeback win over the Eastern Michigan University Eagles 5-4 on March 22 at the Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The Golden Grizzlies, fresh off of a series win over Wright State, looked for their fourth win in five games. This matchup was in lieu of a match at Bowling Green, which was canceled over the weekend. The Eagles took the slot and invited Oakland to Ypsilanti for the Tuesday game and looked to make it a tough game for them.

The first inning saw the Golden Grizzlies at bat, where graduate infielder Brad Goulet singled to first before stealing second. Pitcher Justin Reinkall threw a wild pitch, which allowed Goulet to score, giving Oakland a 1-0 lead. At the bottom of the 1st, Oakland’s freshman pitcher Hunter Pidek struggled against the Eagles, allowing a double and two singles before being pulled, but the Golden Grizzlies would be down 4-1 to close the first inning.

From the second inning on, Oakland’s relief pitcher, Junior Travis Densmore, wouldn’t allow a single run, allowing Oakland to readjust. In the third inning, the Golden Grizzlies went on a scoring binge, as senior infielder Gabe Lux would score after being walked and a pair of wild pitches. Eastern Michigan went for a pitching change after this, but Oakland capitalized on their earlier mistakes to allow Goulet his second run of the day, along with a run from freshman pitcher Brandon Nigh, which tied the game 4-4.

The game would go scoreless for the next four innings, as both teams looked to gain a lead, until the top of the eighth, where Oakland would match up again against Reinkall. Oakland’s junior outfielder Ian Cleary would score off of a single from redshirt junior infielder Thomas Green, who would take advantage of an Eastern Michigan error to advance to second and allow Cleary to score. 

Sophomore pitcher Brandon Decker took over the mound for Oakland for the final three innings, where he would allow only one hit to keep Oakland ahead. Eastern Michigan would ground out in the ninth inning to give Decker and the Golden Grizzlies the 5-4 win.

After starting the season 3-10, the Golden Grizzlies are staying in the fight through improved pitching and a high-powered offense. Oakland has scored 31 runs over the past five games and has allowed fewer than five runs in three of these games. As Oakland continues to improve, look for the Golden Grizzlies to continue their trek up the Horizon League rankings.

Entering a four-game homestand, Oakland needs momentum before facing the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on March 30. Horizon League play continues after that, with the Golden Grizzlies hosting the Youngstown State Penguins April 1-3.