April 29, 2009
Contact: Brian McCann
KENT, Ohio - The Vikings used strong pitching and the long ball to sweep a doubleheader from Kent State, winning 4-1 and 6-0, on Wednesday afternoon at the KSU Softball Field.
Cleveland State improved to 28-15 on the season while Kent State, who entered the game leading the eastern division of the Mid-American Conference, dropped to 23-21.
"This was about as well as we have played as season long," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "Our pitching was outstanding. We gave them very few opportunities to start things offensively and played solid defense.
"We were zoned in at the plate. It was good to see the long ball return to our attack after being missing for the better part of the last week or so.
"I thought part of our problem last week was that we weren't able to play any mid-week games so that we weren't necessarily as sharp as we could have been heading into the weekend. We've got a huge series coming up at Valparaiso this weekend and our performance today shows that we will be ready."
The first game was a pitcher's dual between CSU's Macenko and Kent State's Kylie Reynods as each allowed just three hits through the first four innings.
The Vikings struck first, scoring a air of runs in the top of the fifth when pinch hitter Andrea blasted a two-run homerun to left with two outs to put CSU ahead, 2-0. The inning looked bleak for CSU when the first two batters struck out. Danielle Young drew a two-out walk and Nicholson opted to have Nagy hit for the lighter swinging Alicia Nichols.
The move paid off as Nagy turned on a 1-2 pitch and sent her second homerun of the season sailing over the 200-foot sign in left.
Kent State scored its lone run in the bottom of the frame when Heather Duhon hit a looping fly ball down the right field line that eluded a diving Shalyn Adams for a triple. Leah Archual followed with a fly ball to short center that glanced off the glove of shortstop Natalie DeMatteis for an error, allowing Duhon to score an unearned run.
The Vikings added a pair of runs in the sixth on four consecutive Golden Flash errors. Lia Gordon led off by hitting a foul ball to first that was dropped for an error. With new life, Goron stroked a single to center. Amanda Houchin grounded to third but was safe on a fielding error and Adams followed with a fly ball that the KSU centerfielder dropped, loading the bases.
Mimi Mahon followed with a ground ball to short that took a funny bounce and climbed up the arm of KSY shortstop Mary Holt and into left field allowing two runs to score.
That was all Macenko would need as the Viking junior improved to 23-10 on the year, earning her 75th career victory, She went the distance, allowing one unearned run on eight hits, striking out 11 and walking just one.
The Vikings jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the nightcap when Lia Gordon opened the second inning by blasting a solo homerun to left field. It was her league-leading and school record 13th homerun of the season.
CSU pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fourth when Gordon hit a one-out double to the gap in the left center. Alicia Nichols pinch-ran, stealing third before coming in to score on a two-out single.
A solo homerun to right field by Amy Powell to lead off the fifth inning extended the CSU advantage to 3-0. It was the second homerun of the season for the junior catcher.
The Vikings made it 4-0 in the sixth when Mimi Mahon stroked a two-out single to right to score Natalie DeMatteis from second. DeMatteis singled with one out and went to second on a ground ball out.
The fourth Viking homerun of the day, and third of the game, came in the sixth when Christa Coppus blasted her ninth homer of the season to straightaway centerfield. It was a two-run homer, scoring Danielle Young who had led off the frame with a walk.
The homerun was the 21st career homerun by Coppus, tying Amy Jauert's school record.
"Christa's homerun was icing on the cake today," Nicholson said. "She has been such an important member of this team for so long that it is nice to see her tie the homerun record."
Brittany Bate earned the start and threw her best game of the year to improve to 3-3 on the season. She went the distance, allowing just four hits and striking out a season high eight batters to earn her first career shutout.
She allowed a leadoff single by Leah Archual in the first and then retired eight straight batters, five coming on strike outs, before Archual stroked a two-out double in the third.
Bate would retire 10 of the next 11 batters before Ashlee Hein led off the seventh with a single.
Kent State would rally in the seventh, putting two on with one out but Bate got Holt to foul out to first and then struck out Sarah Starr to end the game.
"Brittany had complete control today. She hit her spots and moved the ball around really well. It is easily her best outing," Nicholson said.
The Vikings close the regular season with a three-game series at Valparaiso this weekend (May 2-3). With a 14-5 league record, CSU must sweep the Crusaders and have first place UIC drop two of three games at Wright State in order to repeat as Horizon League regular season champions and grab the top seed in next week's league tourney in Indianapolis.
