NORFOLK, Va. - The Cleveland State Vikings' offense came to play on Friday, totaling 13 runs across a twin bill split with Norfolk State. The Vikings fell 7-6 to kick off the weekend before logging a 7-3 win in the nightcap.
Game One - Spartans 7, Vikings 6
A late three-run rally by Cleveland State tied the game at 6-6, but a two-out walk-off double propelled Norfolk State to victory in the series opener.
The Vikings fell behind in the first frame, but Aly Packish launched her first homer of the year to left center in the second inning to knot the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the frame, the Spartans retaliated with a two-run shot of their own to take a 3-1 lead.
The Vikings, who entered the day with two homers over their first eight games, recorded another long bomb when Gabby Shackelford connected on her second blast of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Shackelford continued her big game in the sixth inning, dropping a base hit just inside the foul line in right field to score Sydney Bajusz and bringing the affair to a 3-3 deadlock.
Vikes starter Hanna Griffin exited after allowing a pair of hits to open the sixth inning, setting the stage for freshman Jenna Watts' fourth appearance, including her third time out of the bullpen.
The Spartans tacked on three runs to pull ahead 6-3 entering the seventh inning. Alexa Sieger led off the frame with a pinch-hit single through the left side of the infield before Jenna Deang walked and Kiera Frascone logged an infield single to load the bases.
Bajusz came through with a clutch two-run double to left center to make it 6-5 before Taylor Duncan's sacrifice bunt completed the rally, bringing Frascone home and tying the game at 6-6.
After Watts recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Spartans used back-to-back base hits to claim a 7-6 walk-off win.
Shackelford went 2-3 with a homer and two RBI while Packish had two hits, including her first home run. Jenna Deang posted a 1-2 mark while drawing a walk and swiping her second base of the season.
Game Two – Vikings 7, Spartans 2
In freshman hurler Torrie Jenkins' first collegiate start in the circle, the Vikings provided plenty of run support in a 7-3 win to clinch the doubleheader split.
Cleveland State jumped out to an early 3-0 thanks to three first-inning errors committed by the Spartans. Shackelford and Duncan each recorded singles before Courtney Fernette picked up the only RBI of the frame on a base hit to center field.
Jenkins played a key role in turning the Vikings' first double play of the season in the bottom of the first, which also happened to be the first two outs of her career. On a bunt attempt with a runner on first, Kaelin Ettinger threw across the diamond the Taylor Duncan at first, who fired the ball to Jenkins as she slid over to cover third base.
After Bajusz scored on a passed ball in the second inning to make it 4-0, the Vikings tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Packish singled Frascone home before Sieger drew a bases-loaded walk, stretching the lead to 6-0.
The Spartans broke the shutout with an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth frame, but Bajusz immediately answered with a two-out RBI single in the fifth for a 7-1 edge. Norfolk State added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 7-3 final.
In total, Jenkins (1-0) held the Spartans to eight scattered hits without allowing an earned run or issuing a walk, going 6.2 innings in her first start.
Three of the top four hitters in the Vikings lineup went a combined 7-11 at the plate, including a 3-4 clip from Shackelford. Duncan added a pair of hits to go along with a walk and a stolen base.
UP NEXT
The Vikings finish out the four-game series against the Spartans tomorrow at noon before opening #HLSB play next week with a pair of doubleheaders on the road against Purdue Fort Wayne.
#GoVikes
