CSU- Detroit (Game One) Box Score

Contact: Tim Ertle

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Behind the right arm of Sara Shields and timely home runs from the Viking offense, Cleveland State swept both games of Tuesday's (May 1) doubleheader with visiting Detroit.

With the wins, the Vikings are now 16-36 overall and 8-12 in Horizon League play. Detroit falls to 10-38 and 2-17 in the league.

The Titans took an early 2-0 lead in game one by pushing a run across in each of the first two innings off CSU starter Megan Bashak. Cleveland State answered in the bottom of the second when Nena Doran belted a one-out homer to right field to make it a 2-1 game.

Hannah Yoe followed the Doran blast with a single to left center and then Salena Kauffman drilled her third home run of the season over the fence in left center to give CSU a 3-2 lead.

Sara Shields entered the circle in the third and dominated the Titans. She didn't allow a hit over the final five innings and allowed just two hitters to reach, both of whom earned a base on balls. 

A solo homer in the sixth from Caila Ferro in the sixth gave Shields all the insurance she needed to improve to 11-13 on the year. Detroit's Karyn McCarty pitched well and only had the tough spell in the second and the one mistake to Ferro. She fell to 3-14 after taking the loss in game one.

Game two was all Vikings from the onset. A Dara Toman single scored Afton Allred to give the home team a 1-0 lead after two innings. Cleveland State then exploded for six runs in the third to put the game out of reach.

Allred - who was 3-3 with a walk in game two - hit a two-run double to kick open the door. Nichols later doubled home a run and then scored herself on a three-run blast by Toman.

It was her 19th home run of the season and established a new Cleveland State single season record. Her next homer will tie the Horizon League single season mark.

Detroit cut the deficit to five runs after a pair crossed the plate in the fourth to make it a 7-2 game. Allred doubled in the home half of the inning to bring in Doran and make it an 8-2 game and a solo homer from Shields in the sixth decided the final margin.

Shields was again terrific in the circle and went the distance to finish the day with a record of 12-13. She allowed just three hits and two runs, although neither of the runs were earned. All in all, Shields scattered three hits and nine walks in 12 innings while picking up a pair of wins.

McCarty again took the loss in game two. She allowed seven runs - three of which were earned - in her 2 2/3 innings. Kat Hoffman - a high school teammate of Doran's at Milan High School - covered the last 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs.

The three-game series concludes with a game tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The contest will be covered with live stats, available here. A free Webcast is also available on the Horizon League Network, available by clicking here.