May 10, 2007
CLEVELAND - Cleveland State hung on for a 4-3 victory over UW-Green Bay in an elimination game at the Horizon League Championship on Thursday evening at Viking Field. With the win, the Vikings advance to face the UIC-Loyola loser at 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
CSU got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Sarah Milosek singled and Lia Gordon followed two batters later with her second home run of the season.
The Vikings tacked on another run in their next at-bat when Jessica Burt struck out but reached on a wild pitch and scored two batters later when Michele Penney ripped a double to the gap in left field.
The Phoenix knotted the score with a three-run outburst in the top of the fifth. Andrea Kurzynske started things off with a double and Melani Neiderer followed with a single to score pinch runner Jenna Nitti. Dana Brockman then came up and belted her second homer of the season.
The Vikings (30-13) scored what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the fifth on a bizarre by the UW-Green Bay shortstop in which she threw the ball into right field on a routine ground ball.
The Phoenix (17-23) threatened in the seventh thanks to two CSU errors and a wild pitch, but reliever Christina Swierz wriggled out of the jam by getting a strikeout and a ground out to earn her first save of the season.
Amanda Macenko (24-9) matched Amy Kyler's school season record for victories, allowing three runs on six hits in 5.0 innings of work.
UWGB's Katie Cooney (7-7) surrendered four runs (three earned) and six hits in the complete game effort.
"Christina came in and did exactly what we needed her to do -- I couldn't ask for anything more from her," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We're still alive and that's all that matters at this point, but if we're going to win tomorrow we're going to have to hit the ball."
Gordon and Christa Coppus both had two hits to pace Cleveland State.
The victory over the Phoenix allowed the Vikings to post back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in school history.
