NORFOLK, Va. – The Cleveland State Vikings softball team battled throughout their doubleheader at Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon but ultimately suffered a pair of heartbreaking walk-off defeats to close a four-game weekend series, dropping a 6-5 contest before a 12-11 loss that took 10 innings to complete.
Game One – Spartans 6, Vikings 5
Cleveland State posted the tying run in the top of the seventh inning, but a walk-off single by the Spartans proved to be its undoing to begin the day.
Early on, the Vikings picked up where they left off on Friday, plating three runs in the opening frame. Aly Packish and Gabby Shackelford drew back-to-back walks before Taylor Duncan singled to load the bases. Alexa Sieger smacked a two-run RBI double to left center for a 2-0 lead before Becky Hurosky closed the inning with a bases-loaded walk to put the Vikings on top 3-0.
Each of the first three Cleveland State batters walked to open the second inning, prompting the second pitching change in the earlygoings for Norfolk State. Sieger recorded her third RBI on a fielder's choice to make it 4-0 Vikings.
Cleveland State starter Hanna Griffin cruised through the first three innings on 40 pitches, but the junior ran into trouble in the fourth when Norfolk State plated three runs on five hits to draw back within one at 4-3.
Torrie Jenkins took over in the circle in the fifth inning, making her second appearance of the series after picking up a win in first start yesterday.
The Spartans grabbed their first lead at 5-4 thanks to a two-run shot over the fence in left center field.
After failing to score with runners on second and third in the sixth frame, the Vikings found the tying run in the seventh inning. Sieger blasted a standup double to left field before Valeri Broschk entered as a pinch runner. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Broschk scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Jenkins to knot the score at 5-5.
The Spartans picked up their second walk-off victory in as many days with consecutive hits in the bottom of the seventh frame for a 6-5 Vikings defeat.
Sieger went 2-4 with three RBI while Packish drew a pair of walks to go with a 1-2 clip and a run scored.
Game Two – Spartans 12, Vikings 11 (10 innings)
A pair of clutch, extra-inning three-run homers by Torrie Jenkins and Sydney Bajusz powered the Vikings to a season-high 11 runs to end the weekend.
Making her second career start in the circle, Jenna Watts was locked in, retiring 15 of the first 18 batters she faced. Two Spartans reached on errors and the lone hit surrendered was a solo home run.
The Vikings' bats were silenced until the seventh inning. Trailing 3-0, Packish and Sieger sparked the rally with a pair of walks before Hurosky's RBI double cut the hole to 3-1.
Down to Cleveland State's last out, Mackenzie Tucker came through with a two-run single up the middle to keep Cleveland State alive. The Spartans had runners on second and third in the bottom of the frame, but Kiera Frascone made a fantastic catch on a long fly ball to dead center to send the affair to extra innings.
Frascone and Shackelford recorded back-to-back sacrifice bunts in the eighth frame, giving the Vikings their first lead of the game at 4-3. Shackelford, who beat out the throw at first on her sacrifice bunt, advanced to second when Duncan walked before both runners rounded the bases on Torrie Jenkins' first career homer, a three-run blast over the left field fence.
The Spartans answered with a four-run frame of their own, scoring four times on four hits to make it a 7-7 ballgame and force an additional extra frame.
Watts' evening ended after seven strong innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits while fanning one.
The Vikings quickly put a pair of runners in scoring position thanks to Jenna Deang's leadoff single. Sydney Bajusz connected on a pitch for her second homer of the year, putting Cleveland State back on top 10-7.
An RBI double off the bat of Sieger capped off another four-run inning for the Vikings providing an 11-7 advantage.
The Spartans had another four-run response, forcing a 10th frame in Cleveland State's longest game of the season thus far.
The wild affair came to a conclusion in the bottom of the 10th. After the Norfolk State runner advanced to third on a groundout and the Spartans logged an infield single, the Vikings narrowly stayed alive by recording the out at home on a bunt attempt.
A walk-off single down the right field line proved to be the final blow in what turned out to be the most back-and-forth game of Cleveland State's non-conference slate.
Bajusz, Tucker and Hurosky each had a pair of hits while six different Vikings recorded at least one RBI. The Vikings totaled 10 hits and scored all 11 of their runs over the final four innings.
UP NEXT
The Vikings close out a 12-game road trip next week with a pair of doubleheaders against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 11-12 to open #HLSB play.
#GoVikes
