April 2, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Christa Coppus homered and drove in four runs to set the Cleveland State career RBI record, helping the Vikings sweep a doubleheader from Niagara, winning 4-3 in the opener and rallying from a 5-0 deficit to claim the nightcap, 8-7.
The sweep improves CSU to 16-12 overall while Niagara slips to 14-9.
"I am proud of the way we played today," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We really played well in stretches, especially in the second game when every bat was important to our come back."
The Vikings hit three home runs in the doubleheader, including an ongoing school-record 10th by Lia Gordon, to raise their season total to 27, breaking the old CSU single season record of 26 set in 2006.
"Our power at the plate really helped us today," Nicholson said. "When you get behind by multiple runs, its helps when you have the ability to get two or three of them back with one swing of the bat."
The Vikings cruised threw the first game, opening up a 3-0 lead before Niagara rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game.
CSU took a 1-0 lead in the third when freshman Megan Bashak hit her third homerun of the season, a mammoth blast to left that easily cleared the fence.
The Vikings added two more in the fifth. With Amanda Houchin on first and Bashak on third, CSU executed a double steal with Bashak scoring and Houchin advancing to third when Purple Eagle catcher Jennifer Hare dropped the ball at the plate. Houchin then scored on a double by Gordon.
Niagara evened the game in the top of the sixth on am RBI ground ball, a steal of home and a sacrifice fly.
The Vikings came right back, scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth. Mimi Mahon led off with a single and Alicia Nichols ran for her. Natalie DeMatteis laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt with Nichols taking third when Niagara failed to cover the base. Shalyn Adams followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Nichols.
Amanda Macenko retired Niagara, one-two-three in the seventh to record her 12th win of the season and 64th of her career. She allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, striking out nine without a walk.
The Vikings found themselves down 5-0 in the second inning of the nightcap before starting the comeback.
The Purple Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Kristen Kill sacrifice fly. A four-run second was keyed by a three-run homer by Felicia Coffey.
The comeback started in the third when Danielle Young led off with a triple to center and Coppus hit her sixth homerun of the season to left to bring CSU to within 5-2.
The Purple Eagles added a run in the fourth on a Jennifer Hare solo homerun to lead 6-2.
The Vikings pulled to within 6-4 in the fifth when Gordon hit a two-run homer to left.
Niagara got one of the runs back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Hare to lead 7-4, but a three-run sixth by the Vikings evened the game at 7-7.
CSU loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Coppus pulled the Vikings to within 7-6 when she stroked a two-run single to left center. Amanda Houchin followed with a sacrifice fly to left.
The single by Coppus raised her career RBI total to 115, allowing her to break Amy Jauert's school record of 114.
CSU won it in the seventh when Haley Keller led off with a pinch hit double to center, went to third on a fielding error and scored on a single one out single by Shalyn Adams.
"The intensity of our comeback was phenomenal," Nicholson said. "We fought on every pitch and it was just inevitable that we would pull it out in the seventh. I never had a doubt."
Brittany Bate picked up the win in relief, pitching the final 5.1 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits to improve to 2-3 this year.
The Vikings resume Horizon League play with a three-game series at Butler over the weekend, playing a twinbill beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (April 4) and a single game on Sunday (April 5) starting at 12:00 noon.
