DETROIT (4/11/2015) – The University of Detroit Mercy softball team dropped its first two games against Metro Series rival Oakland on Saturday at Buysse Ballpark. The Golden Grizzlies took the first game 8-0, before winning the nightcap 9-1 in five innings.

Oakland (17-15, 8-2 HL) took advantage of two errors to score four runs in the first inning, before adding on another in the third to build a 5-0 lead. The Golden Grizzlies then scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning to go up 7-0, before a solo home run from Courtnee Johnson in the sixth inning made the final 8-0.

Erin Kownacki started in the circle for Oakland and threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.

Savanna Ferstle, Jennifer Cottle and Katy Severson each went 1-for-2 at the plate for Detroit in the loss.

In the nightcap, the Golden Grizzlies built a 6-0 lead through the first two innings, including a 2-run homer from former Titan Sara Cupp, before Detroit answered back with a run in the third off an RBI single from Sarah Mauser.

But that would be as close as the score would get, as Oakland would score two more runs in the fourth inning, before adding another in the fifth to sweep the doubleheader 9-1.

Ferstle finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate for Detroit, while Mauser finished 2-for-6 with an RBI.

Detroit will conclude its weekend series with Oakland on Sunday (April 12) at Buysse Ballpark, with the first pitch scheduled for noon. The Titans will then stay in the Motor City with non-conference games against Western Michigan (April 14), Toledo (April 15) and Buffalo (April 16) before visiting Dayton, Ohio to face Horizon League foe Wright State for a three game weekend series.