April 29, 2003
CLEVELAND - Cleveland State squared off against Bowling Green in a softball doubleheader Tuesday evening at Viking Field. The Vikings were able to earn a split, winning the first game 5-4 before dropping the nightcap 5-2.
In game one, Bowling Green jumped out to an early lead touching Lindsay Gervais (Bucyrus, Ohio/Colonel Crawford) for two runs on three hits in the first inning. However, Gervais settled in over the next two innings allowing just one hit while dodging two defensive miscues.
In the bottom of the second, the Vikings would answer back with the heart of their order. Senior Stephanie Taylor (Wintersville, Ohio/Indian Creek) started the inning with a single to center. Then, Anna Hubert (North Royalton/Ohio, North Royalton) reached on a fielder's choice. After the next two hitters were retired, Lindsay Ball (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) came through with a two-out single up the middle that scored Taylor. Freshman Shortstop Jessica Townsend (Hudson, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) followed suit with a single of her own to score Hubert.
In the fifth, Michelle Beightol (Akron, Ohio/Springfield) launched her fourth home run of the season, and in the sixth, the Vikings would record another run to take a 4-2 lead. However, the lead would not hold as the Falcons scored twice to in the top of the seventh to tie the game at four. Again, the Vikings had to answer, and they did as J.J. Thornberry (Marion, Ohio/Elgin) singled to score Beightol giving Grace Luginbuhl (Lima, Ohio/Bath) her first college win and the Vikings a 5-4 victory.
The nightcap was not as kind to the Vikings who jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning on Stephanie Taylor's (Wintersville, Ohio/Indian Creek) third home run of the year. Then, in the top of the third, the Falcons came right back answering with a three run second inning. The Vikings could not answer this time and fell to the Falcons by a score of 5-3.
The Vikings are in action next on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. when they face Kent State at Firestone Park at Akron.
