April 3, 2011
Final Stats
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State banged out 14 hits, including a school-record tying four home runs, to rally from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Green Bay, 9-4, and split a doubleheader with the Phoenix.
The Vikings, who dropped the first game, 3-0, are 18-11 on the year and 3-2 in league play while Green Bay improves to 12-10 overall and 1-1 in Horizon League.
"It was nice that we rallied in the second game to score nine runs, but I am not sure what took us so long," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We had terrible at-bats in the first game. We just seemed to wait and wait to start things offensively and pretty soon, we were down three and in the seventh.
"We need to be aggressive at the plate starting in the first inning. That's what we have done in the past and if we want to be the championship team that we are capable of being, then we need to get back to it.
"We were definitely aggressive in the second game because the four home runs were the result," Nicholson said.
After getting just one hit in the first game, the Vikings staked the Phoenix to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap when the CSU defense committed a pair of errors that led to three unearned runs off second game starter Megan Bashak.
The Vikings started the comeback in the second when Gabby Gillilan hit a two-run homer to left to score Amy Powell, who had doubled, bringing CSU to within 3-2.
An error helped CSU tie the game in the third when Katelyn Ciminelli struck out but was able to reach first when the ball got away from Phoenix catcher Paige Newtols. Bashak pinch ran for Ciminelli and went to second on a single by Dara Toman, to third on a sacrifice and scored on a single by Gillilan.
The Vikings took the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth when Alicia Nichols lined a single to center, went to second on a passed ball, stole third and came into score on a single by Tess Sito.
"That was a big run," Nicholson said. "Alicia had a great at-bat and lined the ball to a place where Green Bay didn't have a defender and then she used her speed to get around the bases."
Cleveland State blew the game open with three runs in the fifth, the first coming on a solo home run by Toman that was just inside the left field foul pole. It was the sixth homer of the year for Toman and 22nd of her career.
After Powell hit her second double of the game, Andrea Nagy stroked her second homer of the season to left to put CSU ahead, 7-3.
Green Bay added an unearned run in the sixth to close to within 7-4, but Jessica Burt got the run right back when she hit her team-leading seventh homer of the season, and fifth of the week. Sito was responsible for the final run, lining a single off the leg of reliever Tieraney Planasch, went to second on a passed ball, to third on a wild pitch and scored on another passed ball.
Sito was the winner in relief, pitching the final six innings, allowing one run on three hits. She struck out eight and walked one to improve to 15-9.
"Tess was a little erratic in the first game and had a hard time hitting her spots," Nicholson said. "The plate umpire was calling a tight strike zone which hurt her effectiveness at getting her curve over, but when she came in during the second game, she was back to her normal self. She really threw a nice game under some tough weather conditions.
Burt, Sito, Toman, Powell, Gillilan and Nichols each had two hits in the second game with nine different Vikings scoring runs in the contest.
The home runs by Burt, Toman, Gillilan and Nagy marks the third time in the last two seasons -- and second this week -- that CSU hit a record four home runs in a game. CSU also accomplished it on Wednesday at Toledo.
The Viking bats may have been hot at the end of the twinbill, but they weren't at the start as CSU registered just one hit in the opener, a lead-off single in the fourth by Jessica Burt, as Phoenix starter Katie Cooney faced the minimum number of batters as Burt was doubled off first on a long fly by Katelyn Ciminelli to end the inning. Cooney struck out seven without a walk to register her fifth win of the season.
The Phoenix took a 1-0 lead in the first game when Kendra Woepse led of the third with a line drive home run that barely got over the 10-foot wall in left center.
Green Bay added a pair of runs in the sixth to push the lead to 3-0. With runners on second and third and two out, Sito appeared to be close to getting out of the inning without any damage before she threw a 2-2 wild pitch to Danielle Perenboom that allowed Amanda Omahen to score from third and Katie Cooney advance to third. Perenboom then hit a grounder up the middle that CSU's Andrea Nagy couldn't make a play on to score Cooney to make it a 3-1 game.
The Phoenix may have been up even more had it not been for the defense of Ashlee Stolarski at third. With a runner at first with no out in the fifth, Stolarski made a diving stab at a bunt attempt by Amanda Pozolinski and nearly doubled the runner off first.
With runners at second and third and one out in the sixth, Stolarski made a lunging back hand stop of a grounder down the third base line by Ally Rivera and had the presence to hold the runner on third before firing a throw across to get the runner for the second out.
Sito was the loser for CSU, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out five with a pair of walks.
The Vikings will close out the three-game series against the Phoenix on Monday (April 4) beginning at 11 a.m. Because of anticipated bad weather, the game may be played in the Krenzler Dome.
