GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Cleveland State softball program split its Horizon League doubleheader against Green Bay at Kings Park on Wednesday. The Vikings won a wild second game, 7-6, to take revenge for a 3-1 loss in the opener.
With the result, CSU remains locked in third in the league with a 14-6 record in conference play. The Vikes are right behind both leader Oakland (14-3) and second-place Robert Morris (14-5) with six games left to play on the schedule.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cleveland State – 1, Green Bay – 3 (seven innings)
LOCATION: King Park – Green Bay, Wisconsin
RECORDS: Cleveland State 17-20 (13-6 Horizon), Green Bay 19-19 (11-7 Horizon)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Becky Hurosky had a big performance at the dish with a 2-for-3 opener that included a solo shot in the top of the second inning. The long ball was her sixth of the season, a mark that ranks in a tie for sixth in the Horizon League.
- Sydney Bajusz had a perfect 2-for-2 opening contest. Both hits were singles.
- Sophie Spellman (1-for-3), Mackenzie Tucker (1-for-3) and Aly Packish (1-for-4) also added base knocks for the Vikes.
- Melissa Holzopfel took a tough loss in the circle as she allowed just six hits and three earned runs to go with seven strikeouts over six innings. It was her 14th complete game of the season, tied for fourth-most in the conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Green Bay scored a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead.
- Cleveland State would tie the game in the top of the second off the home run to right-center field by Hurosky to knot things at 1-1.
- The Phoenix got a solo homer of their own followed by a RBI double to tack on two in the bottom of the fourth to jump ahead 3-1.
- CSU left three runners on over the final three frames as GB closed out the victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cleveland State – 7, Green Bay – 6 (seven innings)
LOCATION: King Park – Green Bay, Wisconsin
RECORDS: Cleveland State 18-20 (14-6 Horizon), Green Bay 19-20 (11-8Horizon)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Becky Hurosky kept the big afternoon going with a 2-for-4 performance in the second game. The showing included her sixth home run of the season, a mark that ranks in a tie for sixth in the conference, to go with two RBI and a run scored. She finished Wednesday 4-for-7 (.571) overall.
- Jenna Deang (2-for-4), Aly Packish (1-for-4), Melissa Holzopfel (1-for-2), Courtney Fernette (1-for-4), Sydney Bajusz (1-for-3) and Katie Holmes (pinch-runner) also crossed the plate for the Vikes.
- Brooke Albaugh (three), Hurosky (two), and Bajusz (one) registered the RBI for CSU.
- Eight different Viking student-athletes posted a hit in the contest.
- Torrie Jenkins started the game in the circle and went the first three innings. She allowed four hits, two earned runs and added a punchout.
- Melissa Holzopfel came into the game in relief and closed out the final four innings to collect her 13th victory of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The wild game started off as a pitcher's duel as both Cleveland State and Green Bay were shut out over the first three innings of the contest.
- CSU broke the deadlock in the top of the fourth with Hurosky's second home run of the day to take a 2-0 lead.
- Green Bay manufactured two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame to tie things at 2-2.
- The Phoenix struck again with another run in the bottom of the fifth to take the 3-2 edge.
- Albaugh cleared the bases in the top of the sixth with a three-RBI triple down the right-field line to score Bajusz, Fernette and Holmes for the Vikings to jump back ahead by a 5-3 margin.
- GB responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut things to 5-4.
- Cleveland State gave itself some breathing room with two more runs in the top of the seventh to take a 7-4 advantage.
- Green Bay made it interesting, as they plated two runs and had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Holzopfel struck out the final two batters to take the 7-6 win.
NEXT UP
The Vikings return to Cleveland for their final home series of the season with three games against UIC this Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 at Viking Field. Friday will feature a single game at 3 PM ET while Saturday's twin bill will begin at 12 PM. Admission is free for all three contests and fans can follow along with the live stats of the games on CSUVikings.com.
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