QUICK HITS
- Hanna Breeden and Aly Packish each drove in two runs against East Carolina
- The Vikings rallied from an 8-3 deficit to tie the game as CSU scored five times in the top of the seventh inning
- Sydney Bajusz had three hits against East Carolina
- Lindsay Ward and Hanna Breeden each had two hits against the Pirates
- Hanna Griffin pitched 4.0 innings against Saint Francis and allowed only one run while striking out three batters
RECAP
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Hanna Breeden and Aly Packish each drove in two runs, but East Carolina got a walk-off RBI fielder's choice to edge Cleveland State 9-8 in eight innings in CSU's second game of the day at the Pirate Clash. Cleveland State opened the tournament, and the 2019 season, with a 5-0 loss to Saint Francis.
Trailing 5-0 after the first inning, Cleveland State would rally all the way back to eventually tie the game and send it into extra innings. After the Vikings were retired in the top of the eighth inning, the Pirates got a double from Olivia Narron and she advanced to third on a wild pitch. Narron came in to score the winning run when Tyler King hit a ground ball and Narron beat the throw to the plate.
Cleveland State spotted the Pirates a 5-0 lead in the first inning, which included a grand slam by Logan Wood.
The Vikings got a run back in the top of the second inning. Macy Kaisk singled to open the inning and pinch-runner Bailee Gray advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Sydney Bajusz. Breeden then plated CSU's first run of the season with a single up the middle that plated Gray.
Cleveland State made things interesting in the top of the sixth inning by scoring two runs. Bajusz singled and Breeden followed with a walk to open the sixth inning for the Vikings. Following a sacrifice bunt by Emery Sipe, Paige Hartley walked to load the bases.
After a ground out resulted in an out at the plate, Aly Packish reached on an error by the centerfielder which brought home both Breeden and Hartley to cut the Pirates lead to 5-3.
East Carolina answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Vikings would once again mount a comeback.
Ries walked to lead off the inning and, with one out, Bajusz singled to advance pinch-runner Valeri Broschk to second base. Breeden followed with a RBI single up the middle that scored Broschk and cut the Pirates lead to 8-4.
Sipe drew a walk to load the bases and Hartley also drew a walk to score Bajusz with the Vikings fifth run of the game. Kelly Hysong kep the rally going with an RBI single to left that scored pinch-runner Abby Tolstyka and cut ECU's lead to 8-6.
Packish then roped a two-run single that plated Hartley and Sipe and brought the Vikings all the way back to tie the score at 8-8.
The Vikings opened the tournament with a 5-0 loss to Saint Francis as the Red Flash used a pair of home runs and a complete-game shutout from Meadow Uncapher to defeat CSU.
Saint Francis jumped on the board in the first inning when Cheyenne McKee hit a two-out, two-run homer giving the Red Flash an early lead. Saint Francis exted the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single by Jordan Frank.
The Red Flash tacked on a pair of runs in the third inning courtesy of a home run and an RBI infield single.
The Vikings had five hits in the game as Kelly Hysong, Packish, Ries, Alyssa Rose and Hartley all recorded singles.
Rose started the game for the Vikings and worked 2.0 innings and Hanna Griffin pitched 4.0 innings in relief and allowed just three hits and one run while striking out three batters.
Cleveland State was scheduled to play a pair of games on Saturday (Feb. 16), but the tourney slate has been modified due to weather. The Vikings will face Wagner 30 minutes after the conclusion of the East Carolina-Saint Francis game which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.