May 8, 2008
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CHICAGO, Ill. - Senior Whitney Willard eluded a run-down to score the winning run as Cleveland State claimed a 4-3 decision in nine innings over Green Bay (11-24) in a second round match-up in the Horizon League.
The Vikings (30-16) will now receive a third quarterfinal bye and advance to play the winner of Friday morning's UIC vs. Wright State game at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Friday.
"What an atmosphere. What a game," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "I thought we played pretty well today but we needed extra innings because Green Bay matched our effort.
"Just about every team in this league is capable of winning this tournament and we are fortunate to have escaped today's game with a win."
Escape the Vikings did after Green Bay rallied to score two runs in the top of the seventh inning to come back from a 3-1 deficit and force extra inning.
After CSU took the Phoenix down, 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, Willard opened the bottom of the frame with a line drive to left center that was just over a leaping Jenna Woepse. Willard advanced to second on a ground ball out to second by Danielle Young and to third on a line drive single through the life side by Jessica Burt.
After Burt stole second, Christa Coppus hit a one-hop ground ball to first that Vanessa LeFan fielded cleanly and gunned home to catcher Missy Schleicher. Willard, who broke on contact, stopped midway down the line and started to retreat to third, stopping when Schleicher threw to Mollie Kaebisch at third base.
Willard began inching toward home and when Kaebisch glanced over at Coppus breaking from first to second, she made a break for it, sprinting past Schleicher to score the winning run before she could catch the throw from third base.
"What a heads up play by a senior who was putting it all on the line," Nicholson said. "Whitney is so quick with the ability to switch directions on a dime that she really put the pressure on Green Bay to execute that run down perfectly. Once she saw an opening, it was over."
Willard was one of the offensive standouts for CSU, singling once in four at bats, getting hit by a pitch once with a pair of runs scored and a stolen base. She made the defensive play of the game in the eighth inning when she threw Kaebisch out at third after she tried to take an extra base on a single off the fence by Schleicher. Melani Niederere followed by bouncing to the pitcher to end the inning.
"That throw really saved us," Nicholson said. "It took a funny hop off the fence and Whitney was right on it. When the runner tried to take the extra base, she threw a perfect strike to third to gun her down."
The first half of the game was all CSU as the Vikings rode the pitching of Amanda Macenko and a couple of timely hits to build a 3-1 lead.
CSU scored its first run in the third when Willard was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around to score on a single to right center by Jessica Burt. The single came on the 11th pitch of a titanic battle between Burt and Phoenix pitcher Anna Bluemel.
The Vikings made it 2-0 in the fourth when Katelyn Ciminelli led off the frame with a line drive double up the gap in left center. Amanda Kern ran for Ciminelli, scoring on a line drive single off the glove of Kaebisch at third.
Green Bay strung together three hits in the fifth, the last an RBI single by Woepse, to trim the lead to 3-1.
The lead lasted until the seventh when the Phoenix loaded the bases with one out. Krissy Hanson lined out to first base for the second out but Sara Junion followed with a seeing-eye single to center that barely eluded Viking shortstop Coppus to score a pair of runs to tie the game.
CSU had a great opportunity to win the game in the eighth. With Amanda Houchin on second with two out, Natalie DeMatteis singled to left. Houchin attempted to score but UWGB's Dana Brockan threw a perfect strike to the plate to nab Houchin.
Houchin led the Vikings with three hits with Burt adding a pair of singles and Ciminelli a pair of doubles as part of an 11 hit attack.
Macenko was touched up for 10 hits and three earned runs, but the sophomore who was honored as the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year the day before struck out 10 to record her 25th win of the year.
"Our series with Green Bay was snowed out this year so we weren't as familiar with their personnel as we are with the rest of the league," Nicholson said. "They were able to put a nice game plan together, especially on how they attacked Amanda, and it almost worked."
The victory was the 30th of the season for CSU, marking the fifth time in school history - and third year in a row - that the Vikings achieved that milestone. CSU also improved to 2-4 this season in extra-inning games.
Other Horizon League Tourney Scores From Day 1:
No. 6 Green Bay 6, No. 7 Butler 0
No. 5 UIC 7, No. 8 Youngstown State 0
No. 4 Loyola 5, No. 9 Detroit 2
No. 1 Cleveland State 4, Green Bay 3 (9 Inn.)
UIC 2, Valparaiso 0
Wright State 4, Loyola 3
Friday's Schedule
Butler vs. Youngstown State, 10:00 a.m. (Loser eliminated)
Detroit vs. Green Bay, 12:00 noon (Loser eliminated)
UIC vs. Wright State, 2:00 p.m.
Loyola vs. Butler/YSU winner, 5:00 p.m. (Loser eliminated)
Detroit/Green Bay winner vs. UIC/Wright State loser, 7:00 p.m. (Loser eliminated)
CSU vs. UIC/Wright State winner, 9:00 p.m.
All Times Are Eastern
