ROSEMONT, ILL. – Oakland finished up their five game weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament with four games in the final two days as they played a variety of entertaining contests.

GAME 2 vs WESTERN ILLINOIS | FEB. 7

The Golden Grizzlies continued an on-fire start to the season, scoring 10 runs for the second straight game in their opening game of two on Saturday, defeating Western Illinois (WIU) 10-2. Oakland struck first in the opening inning with Kam Troyer singling to left field before Maggie Murphy doubled, bringing Troyer home for an early lead. After the first inning, Oakland held a 1–0 advantage.

Western Illinois responded in the third with a run of their own, courtesy of a single and RBI hit by Ruby Tarr, tying the game at 1–1. However, in the fifth inning, Oakland’s offense surged. Jessica Nelson and Brooklyn Plitz both singled, setting the stage for Taylor Carraway’s triple down the right field line, which cleared the bases and gave Oakland a 4–1 lead.

The sixth inning saw another offensive explosion from Oakland. With Brooklyn Wyczalek reaching base and stealing second, Autumn Liebhauser’s double brought her home. Nelson and Plitz contributed with base hits, and Troyer doubled to drive in two more runs. Murphy’s single up the middle capped off the scoring spree, expanding the lead to 10–2. The game concluded with Oakland securing a decisive 10–2 victory over WIU.

Mary Newton pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run while striking out four batters and walking four. She threw a total of 103 pitches, with 56 of them being strikes. Nelson entered in relief, pitching 1 1/3 innings to earn the win, giving up two hits and no earned runs, while striking out one.

Troyer recorded two hits and two RBIs, including a double, while scoring twice. Murphy also contributed with two hits, two RBIs, and a double, drawing a walk and scoring twice. Carraway drove in three runs with a triple, adding a hit. Nelson scored twice with two hits.

GAME 3 at DEPAUL | FEB. 7

Oakland suffered their first loss of the season to the Blue Demons in the night cap, falling 14-1 to DePaul. Oakland managed just three hits, while DePaul capitalized on 11 hits, including two triples and a home run, to secure the victory.

DePaul took an early lead in the first inning with a triple from Parker, bringing in two runs, and a sacrifice fly by Ettema added another, putting them ahead 3-0. Oakland’s Brooklyn Wyczalek made a significant contribution in the fourth inning with a double to center field. Storm Kentros reached on an error, setting up Alyssa Balcom, who singled and drove in Wyczalek, making the score 14-1. Despite this effort, the Blue Demons maintained control throughout the game, with the final score being 14-1 in favor of DePaul.

Brooklyn Wyczalek scored Oakland’s lone run and recorded a double while playing third base. Alyssa Balcom added a hit and an RBI, pitching one inning and allowing two hits with one strikeout. Storm Kentros collected one hit as well.

GAME 4 vs DRAKE | FEB. 8

On the final day of the DePaul Dome Tournament, Oakland faced another challenge, starting with a loss to Drake with a final score of 3-1. Oakland managed to score one run in the third inning and collected six hits overall, with one double among them. The team showcased aggressive base running with four stolen bases. Despite a strong pitching effort, allowing seven hits and striking out eight, Oakland could not overcome Drake’s early lead, which included a home run and a triple.

Drake opened the game by getting on the scoreboard in the first inning with Pearson Hall tripling to right center, setting up Malea Yoxsim’s RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Oakland responded with Addison Kopp singling in the bottom of the first, but no runs were scored, leaving the Bulldogs ahead 1-0 after the first inning.

In the second inning, Drake extended their lead when Ava Husak scored on a bunt single by Frankie Rita, making it 2-0. Oakland’s defensive adjustments included bringing in Kenna Bommarito to pitch, which ended the inning without further damage. Oakland’s offense saw Kayla Turmell hit a single, but the score remained 2-0 in favor of the Bulldogs after the second inning.

Oakland got on the board in the third inning. After Storm Kentros walked and advanced to third, Kam Troyer delivered a crucial RBI single up the middle, bringing Kentros home and cutting the deficit to 2-1. Troyer then stole second and third, but the inning ended with no additional scoring, leaving the Bulldogs with a narrow 2-1 lead.

Drake’s bats were quiet in the fourth inning, with Bommarito striking out two batters and preventing any further scoring. Oakland was retired in order in the bottom half, keeping the score at 2-1.

In the sixth inning, the Bulldogs’ Natalee Watt hit a solo home run to left center, increasing their lead to 3-1. Oakland was unable to muster a response in their half of the inning, despite solid contact from their lineup.

The seventh inning saw Oakland attempt a rally, as Autumn Liebhauser walked to lead off. However, the subsequent batters were unable to capitalize, and the Bulldogs secured the game with a final score of 3-1.

Kam Troyer registered two hits, including a double, and drove in one run while stealing three bases. Addison Kopp added two hits in four at-bats, contributing solidly from the second spot in the lineup. Kenna Bommarito pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out six batters and yielding three hits.

Alyssa Balcom started for Oakland and pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out two batters. Balcom allowed one walk and faced nine batters, conceding a double and a triple. Bommarito came in as relief, delivering a strong performance over 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits, striking out six, and walking two.

The Golden Grizzlies closed out their stay in Rosemont with a crushing loss to Valparaiso 5-6, in a game that was decided by a walk-off hit from the Beacons.

Oakland initially surged with four runs in the first inning, but Valparaiso (4-0) responded with a three-run fourth inning and a decisive run in the seventh.

Oakland opened the game with a strong offensive display, scoring four runs in the first inning. Brooklyn Plitz got things started with a single, followed by Storm Kentros hitting a single and stealing second. Kam Troyer walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Kayla Turmell, who hit a triple to clear the bases, driving in three runs. Jessica Nelson then added an RBI single to extend the lead, putting Oakland ahead 4-0 after the first inning.

In the fourth inning, Valpo responded with three runs of their own. A double and a series of walks, coupled with a throwing error, allowed them to capitalize on the opportunity, narrowing Oakland’s lead to 4-3 after four innings. The Beacons continued to apply pressure in the fifth inning, adding two more runs through a sequence of a walk and a single, taking a 5-4 lead.

Oakland managed to tie the game again in the seventh inning with Brooklyn Wyczalek singling to drive in a run. However, Valpo regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a run on a single up the middle to secure a 6-5 victory over Oakland.

Jessica Nelson pitched 3 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, with 1 earned run. Nelson faced 17 batters, inducing 6 flyouts and 3 groundouts, and managed to keep the leadoff batter off base in 2 of 4 innings. Mary Newton made a relief appearance, pitching 1 inning and giving up 1 hit.

Kayla Turmell recorded three RBIs and hit a triple, contributing significantly to the team’s offensive efforts. Kentros collected two hits, including a triple, and scored a run while adding a stolen base. Troyer added a hit, drew a walk, and stole a base, scoring once in the game. Nelson pitched three innings, allowing five hits and two runs while also contributing offensively with a hit and an RBI.

In their next game, Oakland will host the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Friday, Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. at Oakland Softball Field in Rochester, Michigan.