March 29, 2011
Game One Stats
Game Two Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Some teams like to jump out to a quick start while others are tough down the stretch. For the Vikings in their home opener on Tuesday, they took the fifth, scoring 10 times in the frame during the twin bill to sweep IUPUI, 4-2 and 11-5.
The wins improve CSU to 15-10 on the year while IUPUI slips to 10-18.
"We sure started out offensively kind of slow today, but once we started hitting, boy did we hit," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "It is one thing when you bat around in an inning, but when you are able to do it in back-to-back innings, it shows that you are hitting the ball.
"This was a good sign for us today because we had not been hitting the ball very well lately, but we seemed to snap out of it, even though it was tough conditions to play in, especially once the sun went down and it got really cold."
The first game was a classic pitcher's duel between Sito and IUPUI's Nikki Thomas. . . until the fifth.
The Jaguars opened the scoring in the top of the frame on a two-out two-run double by Angela Bartucci that put IUPUI ahead, 2-0.
The Vikings came right back, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter, the fifth of the game by Thomas. Thomas then walked pinch-hitter Katelyn Ciminelli to bring CSU to within 2-1. Dara Toman put the Vikings ahead 3-2 on a two-run line drive double over the head of IUPUI right fielder Chelsie Hale, but Toman was caught in a run down after straying too far from second base, and was tagged for the second out.
Amy Powell made it 4-2 on a RBI double to the gap in left center that scored Ciminelli.
That was all Sito needed as the Viking sophomore set the Jaguars down in order in the sixth and seventh to pick up her 12th win of the year against eight defeats. She threw her 12th compete game of the year, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out 12 with a pair of walks.
"Tess threw well," Nicholson said. "After not pitching much last season, she is quickly finding her rhythm and has been pretty dominant in her last couple of outings."
The nightcap was dominated by pitching, until the fifth.
IUPUI took a 1-0 lead when Jessica Lam led off the third inning with a solo home run to right field and made it 2-0 on a Hannah Croucher RBI single in the fifth.
The Viking bats woke up in the bottom of the frame, scoring six runs to take control of the game.
With one out, Andrea Nagy doubled and pinch hitter Macall Sheppard walked. Kala Allred hit an infield single to third to load the bases with Nagy scoring to make it 2-1 and the runners advancing when the throw from third was wild. Jessica Burt was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Sito followed with a bases clearing double to the gap in left center that put CSU ahead, 4-2.
Sito scored when Ciminelli was safe on a fielder's choice that resulted in an error and Ciminelli later came around to score on a double by Gabby Gillilan.
The Vikings couldn't hold the lead however as IUPUI scored three times in the top of the sixth to close to within 6-5, the big blow being a two run single by Joy Perry.
CSU added five more runs on six hits in the sixth to put the game away. Caila Ferro started it off with an RBI single and Toman closed the rally with a two run homer, the team-leading fifth of the season for the Viking sophomore.
Junior Megan Bashak earned her third start of the year in the circle and was strong, giving up just two runs in 4.1 innings. She gave way to Kala Allred in the fifth and Brandy Holmes in the sixth before returning to the circle for a one-two-three seventh. Allred (1-0) picked up her first win of the season.
"I saw some good things out of our pitching in the second game," Nicholson said. "Megan (Bashak) moved the ball around pretty well and then came through with a solid final inning while both Kala (Allred) and Brandy (Holmes) displayed some positive things as well."
Gillilan paced the offense with two hits in each game, going four-for-seven (.571) with a double and an RBI while Nagy was three-for-five with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Sito also had three hits, scoring three runs, driving in three and stealing four bases while Toman drove in four runs on two hits, both of which were for extra bases.
The Vikings, who have won four of their last five games including three straight, will be in action again on Wednesday when CSU travels to Toledo for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.
