CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State Vikings softball team returned to the diamond on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader split against Bowling Green at the Krenzler Bubble, falling 3-0 in the season opener before bouncing back for a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
Game One Recap – Falcons 3, Vikings 0
The Vikings ran into a red-hot pitcher in the matinee contest, facing Bowling Green ace Payton Gottshall. Becky Hurosky's single to left field to leadoff the fifth inning marked the only offense Cleveland State managed as Gottschall racked up 20 strikeouts over seven innings of one-hit shutout ball.
The Falcons plated all three of their runs when Evelyn Loyola launched a homer to dead center field in the third inning.
Vikings starter Hanna Griffin allowed three runs on eight hits over her 4.1 innings of work, recording five punchouts along with three walks.
Jenna Watts made her collegiate debut in the fifth inning and kept Bowling Green off the board over the final 2.2 frames, limiting the Falcons to a pair of hits while striking out four.
Game Two Recap – Vikings 3, Falcons 1
The Vikings offense quickly bounced back from the shutout, striking in the opening inning when Sydney Bajusz logged a leadoff double before Hurosky collected Cleveland State's first RBI of the season on a ground-rule RBI double to left center.
Cleveland State remained on top until Bowling Green's Sarah Gonzalez singled to right field in the fourth inning with a pair of runners in scoring position to tie things up at 1-1.
The Vikings answered in the bottom of the fifth with a string of base hits. Bajusz doubled to left field to setup a two-out situation with runners on second and third before Kiera Frascone reached on a bunt down the third-base foul line, scoring the lead runner Bajusz.
A throwing error by the third baseman allowed Jenna Deang to also score from second, handing the Vikings a 3-1 advantage.
Bowling Green threatened in the sixth frame with a runner in scoring position, but Ettinger made a fantastic diving play from the shortstop position to record the final out at first base.
In her first start of the campaign, Taylor Betz tossed a 99-pitch complete game, allowing only one run on three hits with three strikeouts and three walks to move to 1-0.
Basujz went 2-for-2 with a run scored and a walk in the leadoff spot while Hurosky and Frascone logged the Vikings' RBIs.
Up Next
Cleveland State continues non-conference play with a season-long 12-game road trip beginning next weekend with doubleheaders against the College of Charleston (Feb. 19) and Charleston So. (Feb. 20).