CSU/Dayton Box Score
Contact: Tim Ertle
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In games that were polar opposites, the Cleveland State softball team split with Dayton and Tennessee Tech to go 1-1 on the opening day of the Frost Classic, inspired by Memorial, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Vikings are now 1-5 on the year.
After dropping the first game of the day by a score of 11-10 to Dayton, the Vikings responded with their first win of the 2012 campaign thanks to a brilliant pitching performance from ace Megan Bashak and defeated Tennessee Tech 2-0.
She went the distance and allowed just two Golden Eagles to earn their way on base, scattering a pair of hits while striking out four.
CSU struck with a run in the home half of the first inning when Caila Ferro doubled and came around to score on a Dara Tomansingle.
That was all the scoring in the game until a solo blast from Toman in the sixth inning provided an insurance run.
Bashak shut down the Golden Eagles in the seventh to preserve the victory for Cleveland State thanks to stellar defense behind her. The tying run was at the plate in the form of clean-up hitter Whitney Cummings and she lined out to shortstop Cynthia Woodard who doubled the runner off first to end the game.
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While the outcome was better in the second game, there were more fireworks in the first game of the day.
A two-run homer from Dayton sophomore Kasi Vazquez in the top of the eighth inning was the difference as her blast in extra innings gave UD an 11-9 lead and the Vikings could only muster one run in their last at-bat.
The Flyers scored early and often, plating four runs in the first inning and a run in each of the next three frames to stake themselves to a 7-0 lead after the top of the fourth inning.
CSU starting pitcher Alex Radjen left the game after allowing a solo shot to start the third inning. She worked two innings and allowed six runs - four of them earned - with two strikeouts and a walk. She gave way to Sara Shields who worked the next five innings and was charged with three runs while scattering eight hits and striking out three Flyers.
Bashak took over in the circle in the eighth and surrendered the blast to Vazquez and was dealt the loss.
Trailing 7-0, the Vikings finally got things going in the home half of the fourth inning when they finally solved UD starting pitcher Alysha Isaacson and hung three runs on the board.
Ferro got hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved up a base on a Toman groundout. Nena Doran followed with a single that plated Ferro and Woodard followed with a single to put two on before a strikeout resulted in the second out of the inning.
Andrea Nagy then singled to load the bases for her high school teammate Bashak.
She singled right back up the middle and Doran and Woodard both scored to cut the deficit to four runs.
After Dayton widened the gap with a run in the top of the fifth and made it an 8-3 game, CSU rallied with a five-run fifth to tie the game at 8-8.
Alicia Nichols singled to start the inning and Hannah Yoe had a base knock to put two on.
Ferro put the ball in play on the right side and was thrown out at first, but both Nichols and Yoe moved up a base.
Toman then made contact and the ball was booted by the Dayton shortstop and everyone was safe with Nichols scoring.
A Doran single moved everyone up one station and scored Yoe to make it an 8-5 game.
Dayton made a pitching change and new hurler Kayla English walked Woodard to load the bases for pinch hitter Afton Allred. She singled down the right field line, scoring both Toman and Doran.
Nagy then laid down a perfect bunt to squeeze in Woodard and tie the game at 8-8 and move the go-ahead run in the form of Allred into scoring position.
Back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat, but the Vikings had scratched and clawed their way back to erase the deficit.
After neither team could manage a run in the sixth, Dayton re-gained the lead on one swing of the bat when freshman outfielder Lauren Nacke hit a solo homer to left field in the top of the seventh.
The Flyer lead would not last for long.
Freshman catcher Erica McNew's first career hit got things going and she was replaced by pinch runner Jasmin Filiaggi. After a strikeout, Bashak and Nichols singled to load the bases with just one out.
Yoe grounded out to the shortstop and Filiaggi scored. Dayton elected to intentionally walk Ferro to create a force at any base, and Toman flied out to left to end the threat, sending the game to extra innings.
After the two-run homer from Vazquez, the Vikings chipped away in the eighth but could only push one run across. By rule, Toman was placed on second to start the inning and she was moved over on a single to right field by Doran.
Toman came around to score on a groundout off the bat of freshman Salena Kauffman but a groundout ended the game with the tying run on base.
Each team had 16 hits and made an error in the field.
Dayton's Sarah Wedel, who worked the final 2.2 innings, earned the victory and improved to 1-1.
After picking up their first win of the season, the Vikings are back at it tomorrow with a pair of games. First up is Ball State at 11:00 a.m. and the day will finish with Troy at 1:15 p.m. The weekend concludes with an 11:00 a.m. game with Tennessee-Martin on Sunday (Feb. 26).
