Oakland Rallies Late to Defeat Cougars in Walk-Off Fashion

(Rochester, MI) -- The Cleary Cougars Baseball team headed east this afternoon to take on NCAA DI Oakland University Grizzlies.

The Cougars got to work right away in the first inning, taking an early 2-0 lead. Hector Montilla tripled to centerfield, which scored Gavin Kempainen and Brendan Seman. The Cougars added a run in the third inning when Ryan Rose laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Gavin Kempainen. Oakland's offense joined in on the scoring in the bottom half of the inning and tied the game up at 3-3. Cleary retook the lead in the fourth when Austin Vincent hit a sacrifice fly that scored Brodie Mackay. With the bases loaded in the sixth, Brodie Mackay scored on a pass ball, giving the Cougars an insurance run and increasing the lead to 5-3. Oakland once again fought back, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 5-5. The Cougars looked to take the lead once again in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Ryan Rose scored on a wild pitch. Austin Vincent then walked to reload the bases again and bring up Gavin Kempainen. He would then clear the bases for a 3 RBI base hit, giving the Cougars a 9-5 lead. The Cougars headed to the ninth just three outs away from a win. Oakland wouldn't give up though, as they were able to score five runs in the bottom of the ninth and end the game on a walk-off single. 

Jacob Savina got the start for the Cougars and would allow 5 runs in 6.0 innings pitched. Gavin Kempainen finished 3-4 with 2 walks and 3 RBIs at the plate.

The Cougars are now 14-12 overall on the season. The Cougars play again this Friday, March 28, with a home WHAC Conference doubleheader against the Indiana Tech Warriors. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM.