March 20, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Katelyn Ciminelli's two-run single in the sixth gave the Vikings the lead for good, allowing CSU to split a doubleheader at Marshall on Thursday, losing 3-2 in the opener before claiming a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
The Vikings improve to 9-9 on the year while Marshall drops to 15-8.
"We should have had a sweep today," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "A play here and a play there cost us today so we need to be a little sharper when we start conference play on Saturday (at Wright State).
"It's not like we played poorly today. It's just that we can play a little better. We had the opportunities to open both games up but couldn't come up with the big hit. At the other end of the spectrum, we had trouble closing both games out and gave Marshall a chance to come back."
The Vikings took a 2-0 lead in the opener on single runs in the first and second.
In the top of the first, Christa Coppus led off with a single to center and Amanda Houchin followed with a single to left with both runners advancing when the leftfielder misplayed the ball. Following an intentional walk to Lia Gordon, Mimi Mahon followed with an RBI single.
In the second, pinchrunner Andrea Nagy stole home on the back end of a double-steal. Nagy, who ran for Amy Powell who had walked, went to third on a Megan Bashak single, one of three hits on the day for the Viking freshman
Marshall tied the game with single runs in the third and fourth.
Caitlyn Jackson had an RBI double in the third to brig the Thundering Herd to within 2-1 and Marshall tied the game on a Kelly Nielson single that scored Marceno Bertoldo.
An unearned run decided the game in the bottom of the seventh. With runners at 2nd and third with two out, J.J. Bitner hit a grounder to short that Natalie DeMatteis couldn't handle, allowing the winning run to score.
Amanda Macenko picked up the loss for CSU in relief of Brittany Bate. Bate went the first 3.1 inings, allowing two runs on five hits. Macenko pitched the next 3.1 innings and only allowed the one unearned run on two hits, striking out five.
"That was a tough loss," Nicholson said. "Everything was in pace for us to win that game but we just didn't finish."
The Vikings jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game when Lia Gordon singled home Bashask, who had walked.
The lead didn't stand long as the Thundering Herd scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, the first coming when a throwing error on Viking catcher Powell on a double steal with runners at first and second allowed the runners to take an extra base and scoring a run. The second run followed on an RBI single by Jackson, giving Marshall a 2-1 lead.
Pitching would take over the game until the Vikings got things going in the sixth.
Houchin led off with a single and Gordon was safe on an infield error. Mahon followed with a double to score Houchin. Jackson came on to pitch for Marshall and she was greeted by Ciminelli, who stroked a single to right center to score both runners and put CSU ahead, 4-2.
Marshall would score one in the bottom of the seventh on a Stoehr homerun but Macenko closed the door to pick up her sixth win of the season.
Macenko allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits, striking out five and walking none.
The Vikings will open Horizon League play on Saturday (March 21) with a doubleheader at Wright State starting at 1:00 p.m.
