Cleveland, OH-The Cleveland State softball team improved to 5-3 in Horizon League play after back-to-back victories on Saturday afternoon in taking all three games from Detroit Mercy this weekend. The Vikings won game one 12-0 via the run rule and took the second game 3-0.
Melissa Holzopfel and Torrie Jenkins combined to shut out the Titans for the entirety of the weekend as the Cleveland State pitching staff did not allow a run in any of the three games. Jenkins picked up her first win of the season in the first game of the day and Holzopfel continued her dominant play with another outstanding performance in the final game of the series.
In the first game the Viking offense exploded for 12 runs in the first three innings. Cleveland State score one in the bottom of the first and then followed with six in the second and five in the third.
Jenna Deang led off the game for the Vikings by reaching on a hit-by-pitch. She stole second and eventually scored on a Holzopfel sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 early.
Cleveland State carried momentum into the second inning where the Vikings loaded the bases with two outs. Three consecutive hits from Brooke Albaugh, Holzopfel and Becky Hurosky eventually produced a six-run inning and gave Cleveland State a 7-0 lead.
Eight of the nine Viking starters on offense collected at least one hit in the contest. Albaugh, Hurosky and Emily Yacapraro all collected multi-hit games. The first four hitters in the order combined for 10 RBI, with Hurosky and Holzofpfel leading the way with three each.
The 12 runs were more than enough for Torrie Jenkins who cruised to her first win of the season. Jenkins struck out seven in five innings of work and allowed just four hits and two walks in the game.
In game two, Holzopfel was dominant once again in the circle. She struck out 13 and did not walk a batter. The Titans managed just one hit, a leadoff double, after which Holzopfel retired the next 21 hitters she faced. For the weekend, Holzopfel tallied 27 strikeouts against just one walk. She yielded just three hits in 14 innings of work. Holzopfel currently has a 0.73 ERA in conference play good for third best in the league.
She helped her own cause in the second inning with a leadoff double. After taking third on a flyout to right field, she came around to score on a Yacapraro infield single to put Cleveland State in front 1-0.
Cleveland State would tack on two more in the fifth inning as Alexa Sieger ripped a two-RBI single up the middle scoring Deang and Albaugh.
The Vikings have now won back-to-back league series and will look to continue their momentum this week with two three-game series. Cleveland State will hit the road in the midweek for three games at Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday and Wednesday and then come home for a weekend series with Green Bay on Friday and Saturday.
