April 9, 2009
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
DETROIT, Mich. -- Junior Amanda Macenko threw 11 scoreless innings, striking out 22, to lead Cleveland State to a doubleheader sweep of Detroit, winning the first game 3-0 and the nightcap, 10-0 in five innings.
In the process, Macenko tied the CSU record for career victories with 68.
The Vikings have now won seven straight games to improve to 20-12 overall and move into a first place tie with UIC (4-1) in the league standings with an 8-2 record. Detroit slips to 7-23 overall and 3-8 in league play.
"Amanda was outstanding today," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "She had total control in both games and refused to give Detroit any chances whatsoever. Her ball had great movement and she did a great job of hitting her spots.
"Offensively, we continue to hit the ball from just about every spot in the order. We had chances in just about every inning today."
Macenko's two victories raised her season record to 16-8. She won a school-record 26 games as both a freshman and sophomore and now shares the school record for career wins with Amy Kyler, who won 58 games from 1993-97.
Macenko was never better than in the first game when she struck out 16 batters and allowed just two hits as the Vikings cruised to the 3-0 win.
She struck out two batters in both the first and second innings and all three in both the third and the fourth, at one point whiffing nine straight batters.
Detroit had just three baserunners in the game, with none getting past second base.
The Vikings scored all the runs they needed in the fourth when Katelyn Ciminelli and Natalie DeMatteis led off with back-to-back singles and were sacrificed to third by Shalyn Adams. With two outs, Danielle Young singled to center to score Ciminelli with DeMatteis scoring on an error by the Titan centerfielder to make it 2-0.
CSU added an insurance run in the sixth when Ciminelli stroked a one-out double and came around to score on a single by Adams.
The nightcap was a rout as CSU banged out 11 hits, including a pair of homeruns, to claim a 10-0 game that was shortened to just five inning.
It didn't take the Vikings long to take control of the second game as Lia Gordon powered a three-run homerun to straightaway centerfield with one out in the top of the first to put CSU ahead, 3-0. It was Gordon's ongoing school-record 11th of the season, the most by a Horizon League player this year.
CSU added four more runs in the fourth to break the game open. The first came when Megan Bashak and Andrea Nagy perfectly executed a double steal with Bashak taking second base and Nagy stealing home to make it 4-0. Following an infield single and stolen base by Alicia Nichols, Christa Coppus singled home both Bashak and Nichols, her ongoing school record 120th and 121st career RBIs. Gordon capped the rally by singling home Coppus.
The Vikings invoked the eight-run mercy rule in the fifth. Amanda Houchin led off with a triple and scored on a double by Ciminelli. Amy Powell followed with a mammoth two-run homerun to right-centerfield to put CSU ahead 10-0.
Macenko through the first four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, striking out six. Brittany Bate came in to throw a scoreless fifth inning to complete the win.
The Vikings will return home on Friday (April 10) to continue Horizon League play against Loyola with a 12:00 noon doubleheader at Viking Field.
