March 28, 2007

Game One Stats | Game Two Stats

CLEVELAND - Freshman Amanda Macenko earned her 12th win of the season as Cleveland State defeated Ohio, 5-4, in the first game of its home-opening twin bill at Viking Field. The Bobcats then pushed across a late run to pull out a 1-0 victory in the night cap.

The Vikings (15-4) jumped out to an early lead in the first game when sophomore Christa Coppus put CSU on the board with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning.

The margin would grow to 5-0 when the Vikings tacked on three more in the fourth. Senior Michele Penney got things going with an RBI single. Sophomore Tara Meyer followed with a base hit, and after a groundout, sophomore Danielle Young doubled in both runners.

Ohio (11-16) cut into the lead with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth and then climbed to within a run on a one-out solo home run by Amanda Sacks in the top of the seventh. After a groundout, Alicia Catelette singled but was gunned down at third base when the next batter doubled.

Macenko gave up eight hits and four runs -- but just two earned -- to improve to 12-2 on the year, while recording her ninth complete game effort of the season.

Bobcat starter Natalie Armstrong (2-4) took the loss after allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) in three innings of work.

Coppus and Penney both collected two hits to pace the Vikings.

Game two was a pitcher's duel between CSU junior Christina Swierz and Ohio's Candace Saucedo, as the teams headed into the sixth inning knotted at 0-0.

However, Shalene Petrich led off the top of the sixth with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a double by Kelly Rodriguez.

Saucedo kept the Vikings in check, limiting them to just five hits to move to 3-2.

Meanwhile, Swierz (1-1) was almost as impressive, giving up just six hits in her first complete game effort of the season.

Sophomore Haley Keller had two of CSU's five hits.

"These were two good games between two evenly-matched teams," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We just didn't execute offensively in the second game and Ohio got the job done. I thought we were outstanding defensively today and Christina did a great job in the second game."

The Vikings kick-off Horizon League play with weekend when they host UW-Green Bay in a three-game set. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday (March 31) beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday (April 1) at 11:00 a.m.