YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Cleveland State used a three-run homer by Mackenzie Joecken in the seventh inning to claim a 10-7 win at Youngstown State in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. YSU won the nightcap, 8-5.
CSU is now 18-14 this year and 3-5 in the Horizon League, while the Penguins are 12-19 overall (5-5 HL).
Joecken finished the twinbill with a pair of homers and drove in seven runs, while Cynthia Woodard was 4-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs and four RBI in the doubleheader.
In the opener, YSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but Woodard drilled a three-run homer in the third and a sacrifice fly by Nena Doran in the fourth tied the game at 5-5. The Vikings took a 7-5 lead with two more runs in the fifth inning, but a two-run single from YSU tied the contest at 7-7 after five innings.
It stayed that way until the seventh when Erica McNew drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice by Alyson Broschk. After Katelind Phillips drew a walk, Joecken sent a 1-1 pitch over the right centerfield fence to give CSU a 10-7 lead.
Alex Radjen worked a perfect seventh inning and earned the win, improving to 7-4 this season. She pitched two innings of relief, giving up just one hit and striking out three.
Joecken gave CSU an early 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the second inning, but the Penguins came back with six runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-3 lead.
Woodard drilled her league-leading 16th homer of the season in the top of the third to bring CSU within 6-4, but YSU answered with single tallies in the third and fourth innings to extend the lead to 8-4.
Susan Knight added a homer to leadoff the sixth to slice the deficit to 8-5, but CSU would not get any closer as the Penguins salvaged a split of the doubleheader.
The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday (April 12) at 1:00 p.m.