April 11, 2010
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Dara Toman's solo home run with two out in the 12th inning capped another come-from-behind victory for the Vikings, defeating Wright State, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Viking Field.
The win, CSU's eighth straight and 18 win in the last 19 games, improved the Vikings to 27-8 overall and 8-1 in league play. Wright State slips to 13-20-1 overall and 4-5 in league action.
Late-inning dramatics have become a custom at Viking Field.
On April 2, Amy Powell completed a 4-3 come-back win over UIC with a walk-off homerun.
In the first game on Saturday, Amanda Macenko threw a one-hit shutout, striking out 10, to win her 100th career game in a 2-0 win over Wright State.
In the nightcap on Saturday, Powell brought CSU back from a 7-3 deficit with a sixth inning grand slam and Lia Gordon won it in the seventh with a walk-off blast.
"That really tells you something about the makeup of this team," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "For six innings today we couldn't hit a ball to save our life but when crunch time comes, our kids step up and come through.
"There is something about playing on this field. I have had teams in the past where you go down 2-0 and you wonder if they are capable of coming back. With this team, you don't even bat an eye when you are down because there are so many good hitters who are capable of making the big at-bat."
The Raiders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Allison Cox singled to right to score Jamie Perkins. WSU could have had more, having runners at first and second with one out, but Viking starter Tess Sito enticed Justine Shilt to fly out to center and, after a walk to Mollie Berry to load the bases, China Frost fouled out to left field to end the inning.
The Vikings were stymied for the first six innings by starter Sharon Palma, who limited CSU to just three baserunners while facing just one batter over the minimum. Sito walked in the first but was called out for leaving the bag early. Gordon singled in the second and Amy Powell walked in the fifth, but pinch runner Kala Allred was doubled up to end the inning.
Macenko relieved Sito in the fifth and allowed a seventh inning sacrifice fly by Kristen Bradshaw to put the Raiders ahead, 2-0.
That's when the come back started.
Megan Bashak led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to straight away centerfield, her second of the season, to pull CSU to within 2-1. One out later, Gordon doubled just inside the bag at third base. Katelyn Ciminelli followed with a looping fly ball to short right center that dropped in for a hit, but Gordon was unable to advance on the play.
Gordon made up for it however when she took third on a passed ball. After Toman struck out, Gabby Gillilan stroked a double down the left field line to score Gordon to tie the game and advance Ciminelli to third.
Wright State head coach Linda Garza went to the bullpen, bringing in Melanie Heyne to pitch. The move worked as Heyne struck out Powell to send the game to extra innings.
The Raiders had a chance to win it in the eighth, having runners at first and second with two out when Justine Shilt singled to right. Bashak came up throwing and when Cox tried to score from second, Bashak's throw was on the mark to home plate, sending Cox retreating to third. Powell's then gunned down Cox going back to the bag to end the inning.
"That was a great play on both ends. Megan knew that she needed to get the ball in quickly and she fired a strike to the plate. Then when the runner tried to get back to third, Amy made a perfect throw to get her," Nicholson said.
Wright State also had a runner on second with one out in the second, but Macenko got Bradshaw to ground out to third and Haney to line to third to end the inning.
Extra innings didn't go well offensively for CSU, managing just one runner in the first four frames on a two-out infield single by Ciminelli in the ninth.
That changed in the 12th when with two outs, Toman went with an outside pitch and stroked her ninth home run of the season to right field to end the game.
"It seems like every game it is somebody different who steps up and wins it," Nicholson said. "Dara had struggled in her first four at-bats today and I thought we were going to be headed to the 13th."
Macenko picked up the win in relief by allowing just one run on four hits in eight innings of work. She improved to 21-8 on the year, claiming her 101st career victory. She struck out four batters to raise her career total to 902 strikeouts, leaving her seven shy of Amy Kyler's career strikeout mark of 909 set from 1993-97.
The victory allowed CSU to move two games ahead of second place Valparaiso (6-1) in the win column in the league standings. Butler is in third place with a 7-3 mark.
The Vikings will play their next nine games away from home, starting with a doubleheader at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (April 13) and a single game at No. 23 Notre Dame on Thursday (April 15) before playing a three-game series at Green Bay next weekend (April 17-18).
