Cleveland, OH-The Cleveland State softball team opened its midweek series against Purdue Fort Wayne with a bang on Tuesday afternoon at Viking Field. Cleveland State used three home runs and a stellar no-hit performance from Melissa Holzopfel in the circle to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne 11-1. The game ended in six innings in walk-off fashion due to the run rule.
Holzopfel tossed the 13th no-hitter in program history and the second of her Viking career. She recorded a five-inning no-no last year against Northern Kentucky in another game that ended early due to the run rule.
Cleveland State scored in four of the six frames in the contest. Holzopfel started things off by helping her own cause as she clubbed a two-run home run over the left field fence to put Cleveland State up 2-0.
Sophie Spellman followed with an RBI double in the second inning which scored Peyton Mueller-Stenz. The Vikings had a 3-0 lead through two innings.
Purdue Fort Wayne scored its lone run in the third inning. McKenna Minton led off with a walk and Brayden Lickey attempted to sacrifice her to second base. The throw was wide of first base, allowing Lickey to reach and Minton to move up to third base on the throwing error. Lickey then attempted to steal second base and drew a throw, which allowed Minton to score from third base. The two baserunners in the inning were all the Mastodons would get on the afternoon, as Holzopfel proceeded to retire the next ten in a row to end the game.
Cleveland State continued to tack on runs in the late innings. RBI hits from Jenna Deang and Emma Gilkerson as well as a sacrifice fly from Becky Hurosky made it 6-1 Vikings at the end of the fifth.
The knockout punch came in the sixth as Spellman joined the home run barrage with a solo shot to left center field, her first of the season. Holzopfel added an RBI single to make it 8-1 and Gilkerson delivered the final blow, a three-run shot to left field that ended the game in walk off style.
Cleveland State improves to 6-4 in Horizon League play. Purdue Fort Wayne drops to 2-8. The two teams will meet for a doubleheader to close out the midweek series tomorrow. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon.
