Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Friday, March 12 | 2 p.m. | 4 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field | Fort Wayne, Ind.
2 p.m. | Live Stats
4 p.m. | Live Stats
Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, March 13 | 1 p.m. | 3 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field | Fort Wayne, Ind.
1 p.m. | Live Stats
3 p.m. | Live Stats
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Vikings softball team concludes a 12-game road trip and opens Horizon League play with a four-game series against Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday and Saturday. The Vikes dropped three of four last week over a pair of twin bills against Norfolk State, but each loss came by a single run, including a 12-11 setback in a 10-inning thriller to conclude the weekend. In the lone victory on Friday, Gabby Shackelford recorded a team-high three hits and freshman Torrie Jenkins earned her first career "W" in a 7-3 win, nearly going the distance with a 6.2 inning effort without surrendering a single earned run.
SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Mastodons begin their inaugural season in the Horizon League with this weekend's set against the Vikings. Purdue Fort Wayne, which was selected to finish ninth in the #HLSB preseason coaches' poll, opened the campaign last weekend with three straight losses to Evansville before entering the win column with an 8-7 victory to close the series. Olivia Stansbury went 4-11 (.364) at the dish while Shaina Eyre's 6.77 ERA led the team in a tough opening weekend for Purdue Fort Wayne's pitching staff.
RISING IN THE HORIZON – IN THE CIRCLE
Despite a tough weekend in Norfolk State, the Vikings remain atop the #HLSB rankings with a 2.81 team ERA. Taylor Betz checks in at third (1.88) while Jenna Watts (3.10) and Hanna Griffin (3.13) round out the top 10. Griffin has been a workhorse early on, tossing a league-high 31.1 frames, while Betz's 18 punchouts are tied for fourth-most in the Horizon.
RISING IN THE HORIZON - AT THE PLATE
Collectively, the Vikes rank third in #HLSB with a .235 batting average and sit tied for first in doubles (18) and walks (30) while sitting in second in runs (49), RBI (44), homers (six) and hits (80).
LEADING THE WAY
Through 12 games, Sydney Bajusz paces Cleveland State in RBI (11), doubles (five), hits (15), runs scored (11), on-base percentage (.426), slugging percentage (.619) and multi-hit games (six). The senior is tied for the team lead in walks (five) and homers (two) and ranks second with a .357 batting average.
BASH SISTERS
Aly Packish and Gabby Shackelford each launched home runs in a 7-6 loss on Friday, becoming the second pair of Vikings to homer in the same game this season. Packish and Shackelford have now reached base in seven consecutive games, matching Frascone for the longest streak by a Viking this season, while Packish is riding a team-best four-game hitting streak. Not to be outdone, Sydney Bajusz and Torrie Jenkins both blasted three-run bombs in extra innings in Saturday's series finale.
CLUTCH HITTING
The Vikings have been at their best when it matters most, hitting .298 (31-104) as a team with runners in scoring position. Sydney Bajusz (7-13, .538), Taylor Duncan (5-10, .500), Kiera Frascone (4-9, .444) and Gabby Shackelford (3-7, .429) have combined for over half of Cleveland State's hits in potential scoring situations. The timely offense played a large role in three seventh-inning, game-tying rallies staged by the Vikes against Norfolk State.
GET ON THE BOARD EARLY
The Vikings have won three of four games in which they've scored first compared to a 2-6 mark when the opponent plates the opening run. They also hold a 4-2 record when leading after two innings of play. A fast start could be the key to success against the Mastodons.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hanna Griffin and Taylor Duncan were named Horizon League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, on Feb. 23 , giving the Vikings four individual #HLSB honors through two weeks of action. In doubleheaders against Charleston Southern and College of Charleston, Griffin tossed back-to-back complete games, including a shutout, while Duncan hit at a 6-12 (.500) clip at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Griffin and Duncan joined Bajusz and Betz as Vikings with 2021 Horizon League weekly awards.
UP NEXT
The Vikings open their home #HLSB schedule with a four-game series against IUPUI in Downtown Cleveland on March 19-20.
