CSU/Nebraska-Omaha Box Score
Contact: Tim Ertle
Follow CSU on TWITTER
Follow CSU Softball on TWITTER
CSU Athletics on YouTube
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Vikings used two-run fifth and sixth innings to come from behind and beat Bryant, 4-3, on Monday (March 12), the first day of the Rebel Games in Kissimmee, Fla. It was the first CSU comeback victory of the season.
Opponents were 9-0 when scoring first against CSU but that trend was put to rest. With the win, CSU stops a six-game losing streak and the Vikings improve to 3-16 while the Bulldogs are now 1-6.
Cynthia Woodard's second - and most important - homer of her true freshman season proved to be the difference on Monday. With CSU trailing 3-2, Sara Shields reached on a one-out single in the sixth and Woodard followed with a blast to left center that made it a 4-3 game and proved to be the final margin.
Woodard's homer and Shields pitching helped seal the comeback win after the Vikings fell behind early.
CSU starting pitcher Brittany Bate watched as two errors enabled Bryant's Laura Bowen to score the first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the first inning. She laced a one-out double to left center for her first hit of the season and moved up a base on an error by the second baseman. With two outs in the inning, the CSU infield committed another error that allowed Bowen to score the unearned run.
|
|
|
The deficit became two runs in the bottom of the third when the Bulldogs used small ball to manufacture a run. Bate issued a free pass to the first batter of the inning, Lindsay Martin, and Lauren Guy moved her over on a bunt. Two straight singles by Bowen and Aubrey Mable brought Martin around the bases and made it a 2-0 game.
In the top of the fourth, CSU got the first batter of the inning aboard when Dara Toman was walked by Bryant starting pitcher Jennifer Jacob. Caila Ferro sacrificed her to second and a groundout to the pitcher advanced Toman to third but the Vikings couldn't bring her in.
CSU finally got things going in the fifth when Woodard led off with a single. Afton Allred pinch hit and singled before Alicia Nichols, fresh off a 4-for-11 weekend at the Under Armour Showcase, laid down a bunt and beat it out to load the bases with nobody out.
After a pop out in the infield, Andrea Nagy singled back up the middle to bring in Woodard. Toman hit into a fielder's choice that had Allred out at home but Nichols managed to score on the play and knot the game at 2-2.
The Bulldogs came right back with a run in the fifth to re-take the lead. Martin doubled to right center and that spelled the end of the day for Bate. Shields came in to relieve her and the first batter she faced sacrificed the runner to third base. She then got Bowen to pop up, but Mable singled to center to plate Martin and give Bryant a 3-2 lead.
CSU took the lead for good in the sixth on the two-run blast from Woodard and Shields sat down the final six betters to preserve the victory. She evened her record at 2-2 after working three innings and allowing just one batter to reach.
---
Cleveland State 4, Nebraska-Omaha 2
The Vikings had just two hits in the second game of the afternoon but they took full advantage of five Maverick miscues to plate four runs in a 4-2 victory that improved the club to 4-16.
Shields earned the start and allowed two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but that was after CSU already created a 4-0 cushion.
She had a career-high 11 strikeouts to pick up her second victory of the season and improve to 3-2 on the young year.
Nebraska-Omaha committed two errors in the top of the first that led to an early 2-0 CSU lead. With two outs in the inning, Nagy was hit by a pitch and Toman's grounder couldn't be handled cleanly by the shortstop, allowing the inning to continue.
Ferro hit a ball to third that was misplayed and both Nagy and Toman came around to score.
Two more CSU runs came in the home half of the fifth inning when Allred, Nena Doran and Nichols reached to pack the bags with nobody out.
After Jasmin Filiaggi pinch ran for Allred and was forced out on a fielder's choice, another error by the third baseman allowed Doran to come around and score.
Toman then hit a sacrifice fly to right that brought in Nichols and made it a 4-0 game.
Shields allowed a leadoff double to start the sixth but minimized the damage and left a runner on base to end the threat in what was her second complete game of the season. After 11 appearances - three of which were starts - Shields has an ERA of 3.59.
The Vikings are off until Wednesday (March 14) when they will take on Manhattan at 9:00 a.m. and Fairleigh Dickinson at 11:00 a.m.