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Vikings Slip Past Kent State 1-0 At Firestone Stadium

Vikings Slip Past Kent State 1-0 At Firestone Stadium
Posted: May 03, 2002

May 3, 2002

AKRON - The bottom of the lineup came through for the Cleveland State softball team against Kent State Wednesday night at Akron's Firestone Stadium as the Vikings won their final regular season game 1-0 over the Golden Flashes.

The teams battled through 5 scoreless innings before the Vikings (19-22) broke through with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Michelle Nicholas (Navarre, Ohio/Perry), who bats seventh, singled to center and advanced on an error by the KSU centerfielder Danielle Fincham. Junior second baseman Lindsay Ball (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary), who entered the game in the top of the fifth, then delivered a 2-1 pitch to center field for an RBI single

Junior Jessica Miller (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and KSU freshman Melissa Rhodes pitched two gems, as there were only four hits through the first five innings.

Cleveland State looked like it would score in the first inning after Tiffany Stocker (Sherrodsville, Ohio/Conotton Valley) reached on a throwing error, Jackie Cornelius (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) walked and Michelle Beightol (Akron, Ohio/Springfield) sacrificed both runners over, but Rhodes got Jessica Miller to strike out and Jackie Miller (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) to fly out to end the threat.

In the top of the second, Kent State had a runner on third after sophomore Marci Ridenbaugh singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Rhodes struck out and sophomore Kelly Maehl grounded out, stranding the Kent State runner.

The Golden Flashes had a rally going in the seventh when junior Renee Lynch singled with one out and Rachel Testa singled with two outs, but Viking reliever Kortney Spidell (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg-Franklin) struck out pinch hitter Jodi Stevens for the last out.

Spidell, a freshman righthander, earned the victory in relief for Cleveland State, giving up three hits in three innings to improve to 10-8 on the year. Miller gave up just two hits in four innings of work without the decision. Kate Leary took the loss in one inning of relief, giving up an unearned run on two hits. Rhodes went five innings, giving up only two hits and striking out five.

The win was CSU's second of the year over their intra-state rival. On April 11 the Vikings beat the Golden Flashes 5-2 in extra innings in Kent before falling 6-1 in the nightcap.