CSU women’s softball take on Youngstown for a three-game series – The Cauldron
The Cleveland State Women’s softball team took on the Youngstown State Penguins for a fierce three-game series beginning on Thursday, April 25.
Game one
The first match that Thursday was scoreless up until the eighth inning, when Youngstown hit a line drive into right field to break the tie and come to a 1-0 victory.
It is to note that CSU was in scoring position twice, once in the second and the other in the sixth inning. However, the Vikings were retired each time to remain off the board. Viking junior Melissa Holzopfel tied her career high with 15 strikeouts. The two teams combined for seven hits and four walks.
Game two
The two teams went at it again on Friday, April 26, playing a doubleheader at Viking Field.
Cleveland State got on the board early on, with Viking junior Brooke Albaugh scoring off of a single from junior Melissa Holzopfel at the bottom of the first inning.
YSU was able to score late in the game in the top of the sixth off of a sacrifice fly, tying the score 1-1. Cleveland State responded in the bottom of the seventh, with junior Sophie Spellman hitting a two-run shot over the wall to give CSU a 3-1 win.
Game three
CSU carried the momentum of their win for the next match, scoring two runs at the bottom of the first inning giving them a 2-0 lead. Senior Alexa Sieger and sophomore Emma Gilkerson were the two contributors to the teams two runs.
YSU responded with four runs in the second inning, which would lead to them scoring a pair of runs in the third and fourth inning. The Vikings were able to score one run in the bottom of the fourth, but remained scoreless for the remaining three innings.
The Penguins won the tied series with this game, coming away with a 8-3 victory.
The Vikings are currently 16-22 (.421) overall, with a conference record of 12-9 (.571). The team is holding a batting average of .270 and holds a .327 percent on base.