The official matchup for Tuesday’s softball doubleheader was Western Michigan at Oakland, but it felt more like the Broncos and Golden Grizzlies were forced to battle the elements together.

Despite the unpredictable nature of the weather, Oakland pulled off a late rally in the second game to win, 2-1, at the OU Softball Field. Western Michigan (8-21) captured the first game, 13-0, in five innings.

“Each team battled with the weather today,” Oakland coach LaDonia Hughes said. “Wind blowing, flurries, sun, flurries, sun — it was definitely a fun day.”

Despite the cool temperatures, pitcher Marissa Everitt (3-3) pitched well in the second game, throwing a complete seven-inning game and striking out two while giving up six hits, an unearned run and three walks.

The Grizzlies (8-17) remained scoreless until the fifth inning when shortstop Alyssa Shriver walked and leftfielder Shelby Gott hit an RBI triple to left.

Oakland took the lead an inning later when centerfielder Kelsey Krych tripled to right center and second baseman Erin Galloway hit an RBI sacrifice fly to left. Krych and Gott each had two hits in the game.

The Broncos rallied in the top of the seventh with two on and two out, but Everitt got WMU rightfielder Lexi Jager to harmlessly fly out to center to end the game.

“(Everitt) is a very important player to this team, like every other player,” Hughes said. “She went out and got the job done. The defense took care of the ball, and that’s how we got the (win).”

Game one was colder than the second game, and even saw snow flurries early on, but the Broncos’ bats were hot from the start.

Western Michigan took control in the third inning with six runs, and Oakland errors led to six more Broncos’ runs over the final two frames. The Grizzlies committed six errors in the game.

“We tend to rush from time-to-time,” Hughes said of the errors. “We’re trying to (field) the ball before we get it, which is something we’re working on in practice. Our girls are rushing because they doubt themselves, they forget the mechanics and they don’t get the job done. But in the second game, we battled back, held it to two errors and went to seven innings.”

Pitcher Brittany Doyle (3-6) surrendered six hits, seven runs (six earned) and a walk in 2.2 innings. Alison Tansel relieved Doyle in the third and allowed six unearned runs in 2.1 innings.

Next for the Grizzlies are five straight road games. Oakland will start with a Friday doubleheader and a game Saturday against North Dakota State at a neutral site in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Grizzlies will be back in Michigan for a doubleheader April 12 at Eastern Michigan.