Noora Neiroukh
Softball swept Detroit Mercy this weekend to stay undefeated in Horizon League play.
From Friday, April 5, until Saturday, April 6, the Oakland University softball team defeated the Youngstown State University (YSU) Penguins twice in a three-game series.
This marks the Golden Grizzlies’ third consecutive conference series win, following two series wins on the road against the Northern Kentucky Norse and the Cleveland State Vikings.
Additionally, OU snapped YSU’s nine-game conference win streak. Notably, before the series started, the Penguins remained undefeated in conference play.
Game 1: Oakland 5, Youngstown State 4
The Golden Grizzlies won the first game of the series in a nail-biter.
Allisa DiPrima and Brooklyn Plitz led OU from the batter’s box with two hits apiece. DiPrima also led OU in RBIs with two.
Sydney Campbell took the mound for the Golden Grizzlies and never left, earning her seventh win of the season. Campbell let up ten hits through all seven innings and tallied five strikeouts.
YSU got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first after an OU error sent Sara Fessler to home plate, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead by the end of the inning.
OU responded with two points of their own in the second inning, using just two hits. With runners on first and third, the Golden Grizzlies scored off of an error, and Reese Ruhlman sent Jenna Johnston home with a groundout, putting OU ahead 2-1.
Despite the Golden Grizzlies’ lead, the Penguins slowly took control of the game through multiple innings. YSU earned runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, taking back the lead from OU 4-2.
However, the Golden Grizzlies brought the game back in the bottom of the seventh inning. Following three straight walks and loading the bases for OU, DiPrima brought two runners home on a single, tying the game up 4-4. On the following at-bat, Plitz singled, loading the bases again for the Golden Grizzlies.
With the game on the line, Maci Brown hit the walk-off single, advancing Johnston to home plate and giving the Golden Grizzlies their first win of the series.
Game 2: Youngstown State 3, Oakland 1
The Penguins made their presence known in the second game of the series.
Ruhlman led all Golden Grizzly hitters in the second match with two hits, finding the softball on all her at-bats. As for RBIs, Taylor Carraway led the team, batting in the only run for OU.
From the mound, Alyssa Balcom pitched the first four innings for the Golden Grizzlies, letting up nine hits while striking out four batters. Mary Newton came in for Balcom in the fifth inning and gave up a hit while tallying two strikeouts.
Both the Golden Grizzlies and the Penguins remained quiet until the fourth inning. YSU scored its first run of the match after Jillian Jakse doubled to left field. OU responded in the bottom of the fourth after a chain of three straight hits sent Ruhlman to score off Carraway’s bat.
In the following inning, the Penguins capitalized on their success in the previous inning. Autumn Behlke was walked after loading the bases without any outs, extending the YSU lead to 2-1.
On the next at-bat, Hailey Niederkohr singled up the middle, bringing home Conchetta Rinaldi to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
Although the Golden Grizzlies escaped a scary situation, giving up two runs in the process, OU could not translate any success on offense to the scoreboard, losing the second game to YSU 3-1.
Game 3: Oakland 3, Youngstown State 0
In the final game of the series, it was all OU all game long.
Once again, Plitz led all OU hitters with two hits on three at-bats. Additionally, Carraway drove in the most runs for the Golden Grizzlies with two RBIs.
Campbell took the mound for the second time in this series, allowing just three hits and striking out two batters on her way to her eighth win of the season. Remarkably, this is the third game this season that Campbell has left the opposing team scoreless.
The Golden Grizzlies got things going early in the first inning. After Plitz made it to first, Jen Krizka and Ruhlman were hit by the pitch, loading the bases for OU. Carraway brought Plitz and Krizka home later in the inning, moving the needle in OU’s favor 2-0 by the end of the first.
With YSU unable to make any noise on offense all game, Krizka doubled to center field in the fifth inning. The hit advanced Plitz home to give OU a 3-0 lead that the Penguins could not reach, marking another series win for the Golden Grizzlies.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will hit the road to battle against the Green Bay Phoenix in a three-game series, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13, and ending on Sunday, April 14.
