BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Cleveland State softball team kicked off its run at the Campbell Invitational with back-to-back exciting games, but in the end the Vikings found themselves on the wrong side of their doubleheader on Friday.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cleveland State – 1, Iona – 2 (nine innings)
LOCATION: Amanda Littlejohn Stadium – Buies Creek, N.C.
RECORDS: Cleveland State 4-10 (0-0 Horizon), Iona 1-4 (0-0 Big South)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Melissa Holzopfel threw a complete-game gem as the freshman went the full nine innings and allowed just three hits and two runs (both unearned). She sat down 14 Iona batters on strikeouts, compared to just a single walk.
- Brooke Albaugh, Mackenzie Tucker and Jenna Deang all picked up a hit for the Vikes.
- Albaugh scored the Vikings lone run.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The two teams battled through eight scoreless innings before a wild ninth capped things off.
- Iona led off the inning with two runs to take a 2-0 lead.
- The Vikings battled back in the bottom half of the frame and pushed across a run of their own to half the deficit to 2-1.
- CSU left the tying run on second base as the Gaels escaped with the 2-1 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cleveland State – 9, Akron – 12 (seven innings)
LOCATION: Amanda Littlejohn Stadium – Buies Creek, N.C.
RECORDS: Cleveland State 4-11 (0-0 Horizon), Akron 1-9 (0-0 MAC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mackenzie Tucker led the offense with a huge game at the plate. The senior from Park Ridge, Ill. went 4-for-5 with a RBI and three runs scored.
- Sophie Spellman and Becky Hurosky both picked up two RBI, respectively. Spellman finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk while Hurosky contributed a 1-for-2 game.
- Kiera Frascone (1-for-5, R), Courtney Fernette (1-for-2), Maggie Kusmits (1-for-2, R, BB) and Kaelin Ettinger (BB) also picked up a RBI.
-The nine runs scored by Cleveland State were the second-highest total of the season so far.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- CSU jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after four runs in the bottom of the first and another in the second.
- Akron answered with four runs in the top of the third and one more in the fourth to tie the game at 5-5.
- Cleveland State came right back with a run of its own in the bottom of the fourth to retake a 6-5 edge.
- The Zips tied things again with another run in the top of the fifth.
- The two sides would remain scoreless until Akron broke out for six runs in the top of the seventh.
- The Vikings battled back hard with three runs in the bottom of the inning, but fell short as the Zips closed out the 12-9 win.
NEXT UP
The Vikings will continue their stay at the Campbell Invitational with two more games on Saturday. CSU gets the day started with a rematch against Akron at 10 AM ET and will follow it with a showdown against host Campbell at 12:30 PM. Fans can follow along with the live stats of both games here, while the Campbell contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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