Contact: Tim Ertle
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Poor defense continued to bite the Vikings on Sunday (Feb. 26) as three errors helped Tennessee-Martin edge Cleveland State, 4-1, in the final game of the Frost Classic.
The Vikings went 1-4 over the weekend and now sit at 1-8 overall.
Two errors in the first inning led to a pair of Skyhawk runs. CSU starting pitcher Megan Bashak, who entered the game with an ERA of just 1.89 and with half of the runs scored against her being of the unearned variety, was the victim yet again.
UT-Martin tacked on another run in the third when leadoff hitter Leah Taylor singled and then stole second. She later came around to score on the third and final CSU error of the day when a ball was misplayed in center field.
Cleveland State got one run back in the home half of the third inning when freshman Nena Doran walked and moved up a station on a groundout by Erica McNew. Caila Ferro then put the ball in play on the right side of the infield to allow Doran to move up to third and she eventually came around to score on a two-out single from Dara Toman.
Bashak worked into the fifth but left before recording an out in the inning after the Skyhawks tacked on another run to make it a 4-1 game.
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Transfer Kelsi Reed made her Viking debut when she replaced Bashak and worked the final three innings of the game without allowing a hit. She did walk two Skyhawks but didn't allow the free passes to come back and haunt her.
The Viking bats just never could get into a groove against UT-Martin starting pitcher Kenzi Tate. She went the distance to pick up her first win of the season. Tate allowed three hits and four walks but CSU never could piece together a rally.
Outside of Toman's RBI single, the Vikings received hits from freshman shortstop Cynthia Woodard and senior second basemanAndrea Nagy.
Cleveland State will return to action next weekend with five games in three days in Athens, Ga. The Vikings will begin the weekend with a game against Minnesota at 9:00 a.m. on Friday (March 2).
