March 28, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Megan Bashak had three hits and three RBI and Christa Coppus and Lia Gordon each hit homeruns as Cleveland State split a doubleheader against Green Bay, winning the first game, 10-2 in six innings before falling, 1-0 in eight innings in the nightcap.
CSU improves to 13-12 overall and 3-2 in league play while Green Bay moves to 11-10, 1-1.
"We were like two different teams today," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We hit everything that was thrown at us in the first game but couldn't get things going offensively in the second game. That has been a pattern for us lately and it is starting to concern me."
The Vikings took control of the opener from the start when Coppus smacked her fifth homerun of the season to left field in the first inning, scoring Bashak who had singled ahead of her.
Back-to-back leadoff doubles by Mimi Mahon and Amy Powell to open the second pushed the CSU lead to 3-0. Shalyn Adams ran for Powell and after Alicia Nichols walked, they both came around to score when Bashak doubled to right center and took third on the throw home. Bashak scored on a sacrifice bunt by Danielle Young, giving the Vikings a 6-0 advantage.
Green Bay got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Katie Cooney stroked a two-out RBI double but CSU got the run right back when Mahon doubled to left center in the fifth to score Katelyn Ciminelli,
The Phoenix scored again in the sixth. Melani Niederer led off with an infield single, stole second and came around to score when Natalie DeMatteis couldn't control a sharply hit ball by Katie Cooney, making it 7-2.
The Vikings ended the game early by scoring three in the sixth. Alicia Nichols led off with an infield single, stole second and scored on a single by Bashak. After two outs, Gordon ended the game when she crushed a line drive to straightaway centerfield that barely cleared the fence for her eighth home run of the season, tying the school record for home runs in a season.
The Vikings had seven extra base hits in the contest, more than enough for starter Amanda Macenko to earn 10th win of the season. Macenko went the distance, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out nine without a walk.
"We definitely put it all together in the first game," Nicholson said. "Everything we hit seemed to either go off the wall or found a gap and out pitching was outstanding."
The nightcap turned into a pitching dual between Macenko and Green Bay's Amanda Margelofsky as neither team scored in the first seven innings.
Green Bay's best chance to score came in the first when Krissy Hanson hit a one-out double and advanced to third on a ground ball out. But Cooney lined to second to end the inning.
Young led off the Viking fourth with a single, was sacrificed to second by Coppus and stole third. With two outs, Katelyn Ciminelli appeared to have beaten out an infield single but was called out at first on a bang-bang call, denying CSU the go-ahead run.
In the Viking sixth, Alicia Nichols led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Bashak. Nichols kept going on the play and was gunned down at third on a throw by Hanson. Young followed with a single to right but was stranded on first when Coppus grounded out to end the inning.
Macenko struck out the first two batters in the eighth before Melani Nieder singled to left. Hanson followed with a line drive single off the leg of Macenko with Nieder ending up at second. Junion then put the Phoenix on the board with a looping fly ball to right center to score Nieder with the winning run.
Margelofsky set the Vikings down in order in the eighth to claim the win. She allowed just four hits, striking out four and walking one to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Macenko struck out 12 and allowed just five hits in the contest, walking two.
The teams will play the final game of the three-game series starting at 12:00 noon on Sunday at Viking Field.
