CSU/Rutgers Box Score
CSU/Ohio Box Score

Box Score

Contact: Tim Ertle

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ATHENS, Ga. - A game that was delayed almost six hours and didn't end until the wee hours of Sunday (March 4) morning proved to be well worth the wait as the Cleveland State softball team used a two-run homer in the seventh inning from senior Megan Bashak to get past Rutgers, 5-3, in their third game of the Georgia Bulldog Invitaitonal.

The Vikings came back 10 hours later and lost to Ohio in five innings by a score of 9-0.

Cleveland State returns home with an overall record of 2-11.

Inclement weather in Georgia washed one game out completely. The Vikings were scheduled to play Rutgers at 5:00 p.m. and Mercer at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday (March 3) but thunderstorms pushed the first of six scheduled games - one that was set to begin at 9:00 a.m. - until after 1:00 p.m.

As the day went on and games ran late, CSU and Rutgers got pushed back so late that the final game of the evening against Mercer was cancelled. The Vikings and Scarlet Knights game didn't begin until 10:50 p.m.

When it finally did get started, the CSU team that sat around all day was ready from the onset, scoring two runs in the top of the first with a single from Dara Toman that plated Nena Doran and Andrea Nagy.

Nagy doubled to start the third and back-to-back singles from Caila Ferro and Toman gave CSU a 3-0 lead after three frames. 

That lead stood up until the Rutgers fifth when the Scarlet Knights came back to even the score at 3-3 thanks to four hits in the inning. Bashak worked into the fifth before Sara Shields came in to replace her and worked out of a jam, stranding two Rutgers baserunners.

The score remained 3-3 heading into the seventh, an inning that started with a Shields single. Brittany Bate bunted her up a base but the small ball later proved to not be necessary after Bashak homered to left field to make it a 5-3 game.

Shields retired the Scarlet Knights in order to pick up her first win as a Viking. She worked 2.1 innings in relief of Bashak and allowed just one baserunner - a walk in the sixth. She had three strikeouts after Bashak sat down four Scarlet Knights in her 4.2 innings in the circle. The CSU senior was tagged for three runs on five hits and four walks.

After a long day of sitting around and a game that ended at 12:57 a.m., Cleveland State battled Ohio at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Bobcats played the first two games of the day on Saturday and looked like a team that was well-rested and firing on all cylinders.

OU scored four runs in the second, three in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 9-0 lead into the fifth inning. After CSU couldn't put a run on the board in the home portion of the fifth inning, the game was called.

Starting pitcher Lauren McClary didn't allow a hit all afternoon and had seven strikeouts as opposed to just three walks in her five innings of work.

Bashak allowed three earned runs and Shields allowed four - two of which were earned - in her 1.1 innings of work. Kelsi Reedworked the final 2.2 frames and gave up a pair of runs.

The three CSU pitchers combined to hand out seven walks compared to just six OU base hits.

Cleveland State is back in action next Friday (March 9) for a weekend tournament in Tampa, Fla. hosted by South Florida. The Vikings play five games in three days, beginning with Temple at 9:15 a.m. on Friday.