BAKERSFIELD – CSU Bakersfield pitchers surrendered 11 hits and nine walks in a 7-0 loss to visiting Oakland University, Sunday afternoon, losing the game and a season-opening three-game series with the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland scored three times in the seventh and twice more in the eighth to break open a close contest and drop the Roadrunners to 1-2 in the early going.
Brad Goulet finished 3-for-4, including a pair of RBI singles, and starting pitcher Jacob Wosinski struck out five batters over five shutout innings to lead the visitors.
Bakersfield starter Kellen O'Connor pitched well, allowing just a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched in his first career start. O'Connor spent his first two seasons at CSUB pitching out of the back end of the `Runner bullpen.
As a staff, CSUB limited Oakland to a .247 batting average and a pair of extra-base hits for the series, while striking out 31 but issuing 23 total free passes.
A shorthanded Bakersfield line-up managed 5.5 runs per game over the first two contests of the series, but struggled to string hits together Sunday against Wosinski and two OU relievers.
Catcher Angel Saldivar was 1-for-4 ont he day and finished the weekend with six hits in 12 at bats.
Jashia Morrissey and freshman Matt Kurata each reached base twice.
NOTABLE...
* Bakersfield's Nic Anderson-Vine and Aaron Perez each recorded their first career hits, Sunday. Cory Blackburn and Matt Kurata also connected for their first career base hits this weekend.
* Ryan Verdugo, Carter Parcher, Adrian Santa Cruz and Taylor Ott all made their first career appearances, Sunday afternoon. All told, seven CSUB hurlers made their NCAA debuts over the weekend.
* Matt Kurata and outfielder Jashia Morrissey each reached in all three games of the weekend series with Oakland.
* Aaron Casillas' four-game hitting streak, dating back to last season's series with UC Santa Barbara, was snapped with an 0-for-4.
QUOTABLE...
"They deserved to win the game and the series" said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "They pitched better than we did, hit better than we did and played better defense. It's hard to win baseball games when you get beat in all three phases. We need to flush this weekend result as soon as possible, get focused on Tuesday night and come to play with more focus and energy than we did in this series."
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T5 | Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, when pinch runner Liam Pollock scored on an RBI single from Seth Tucker. Golden Grizzly designated hitter Brandon Nigh reached on an error to set the table in the inning.
T6 | OU tacked on a single run in the sixth using four singles and a fielder's choice to get on the board. CSUB's Ryan Verdugo induced a pair of ground balls with the bases loaded to end the threat and limit the damage.
T7 | The Grizzlies made it 5-0 in the seventh on four walks and a single. Brad Goulet picked up an RBI with a no-out base hit before Cam Post grounded into a run-scoring double play. The fifth run scored via a wild pitch.
T8 | Two more runs came across in the eighth to make it 7-0 Oakland. Brad Goulet collected his second RBI single of the afternoon and Post followed with an infield single to score Gabe Lux.
ON DECK...
Midweek games return to Hardt Field on Tuesday, Feb. 22, when CSUB welcomes Saint Mary's for a 6:05 p.m. first pitch. The `Runners and Gaels meet for the first time since 2018, when CSUB beat #22 Saint Mary's 3-2 on Feb. 19 of that season. Jake Ortega drove in two of Bakersfield's three runs in that game, including the game winner.
