Oakland baseball went on the road for the weekend to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and took on the Panthers in a three-game series. The Grizzlies entered the series 12-16 on the season, with Milwaukee being 4-21. Let’s take a look at this Horizon League matchup.
April 5: Oakland 3, Milwaukee 1
In the first game of the series, Hunter Pidek pitched an absolutely excellent game. He completely shut down this Panthers lineup. Pidek dealt to the tune of six shutout innings with five strikeouts, giving up five hits and two walks.
This gem of a start came after Pidek earned his second Under Armour Player of the Week award for the Horizon League. With Pidek on the mound and pitching at his best, the Oakland bats were able to get enough runs together to topple the Panthers.
The game was tied heading into the top of the fifth inning. Catcher Brandon Heidal led off the inning with a double down the left-field line. First baseman Carter Hain was hit by a pitch and took first. Both runners advanced on a bunt attempt by second baseman Drew Gaskins.
Center fielder Sam Griffith hit a fly out to center field that brought Heidal home on a tag up to make it a 1-0 ball game. Milwaukee pitcher Luke Hansel struggled greatly with his control in the inning. Hain took third off a wild pitch, followed by a walk from left fielder Reggie Bussey, a steal from Bussey to second, and finally another hit by pitch for right fielder Trent Rice. The bases were loaded, with third baseman Brandon Nigh coming up to bat.
No, he didn’t hit a bases-clearing double or a home run, but he did his job. Luke Hansel from Milwaukee would throw two wild pitches that passed the Milwaukee catcher. Hain and Bussey would both steal home, making it a 3-1 ball game. Nigh would go on to walk before designated hitter Lucas Day hit a flyout to end the inning.
Brandon Decker had a great outing in long relief, going three innings with only a run allowed with three hits and two punchouts.
April 6th, Game 1: Oakland 6, Milwaukee 5
The Grizzlies started the game with a run from first baseman Lucas Day on a sacrifice fly that drove in right fielder Trent Rice. From there on, it was all Milwaukee.
The Panthers stacked up runs across the next six innings, eventually building a 5-1 lead by the seventh. Starting pitcher Shane McAlinden had a rough day, going 6.1 innings with nine hits and five runs.
In the eighth inning, the Grizzlies were able to get to Milwaukee pitcher Logan Snow. Snow issued three walks, three hits and four runs in his 2.2 innings of relief. This erratic play from Snow led to a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch for center fielder Gavin Arseneau, scoring outfielder John Lauinger to make it a 2-5 ball game.
Finally, Reggie Bussey made it a tie game with a triple to left field. The hit brought home Arseneau, Ben Clark and Carter Hain. Snow’s day was done after Bussey’s hit, and the ninth inning began with a 5-5 tie.
In the top of the inning, Milwaukee reliever Tyler Deleskiewicz hit the first batter he faced, followed by a Lucas Day single and a sacrifice bunt by Lauinger that brought runners to third and second base. Deleskiwicz would hit another Grizzly before finally issuing a bases-loaded walk, making it a 6-5 game. Reliever Brandon Decker closed the game out for Oakland, earning his third save of the season.
April 6th, Game 2: Oakland 7, Milwaukee 3
Senior Brandon Decker took the mound for the second game of the doubleheader. He had a great start before allowing a double in the fourth inning, which brought in two runs for the Panthers. It would be the only damage he allowed in his five innings of work, giving up just three hits and two runs with no walks.
Oakland responded in the fifth inning with a Lauinger single that drove in Rice, followed by third baseman Brandon Nigh’s double down the left-field line. The game stood at 2-2 in the sixth inning.
Milwaukee reliever Logan Dobberstein lost control in the inning, walking three batters and hitting two. This sporadic play benefited Oakland to the tune of two runs on bases-loaded walks from Rice and pinch hitter Ian Cleary. Bussey hit a fielder’s choice to second base, scoring one more run courtesy of second baseman Erik Larsen.
In the seventh, designated hitter Ben Clark put the finishing touchdowns on the Oakland sweep, hitting a triple that brought home Heidal and Lauinger. The Grizzlies would go on to win 7-3 after allowing a run in the eighth.
The Oakland bullpen had another great performance, allowing just one earned run and one walk in their four innings of work in relief. In total, the three games for the Grizzlies in this series featured brilliant games from their relievers.
Next up for Oakland is a trip to Eastern Michigan for one game, then a long homestand against Purdue Fort Wayne, Akron and Northern Kentucky.