Purdue Fort Wayne
3-15, 2-1
Cleveland State
8-15, 4-0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Holzopfel (5-9)
L: McConnell, Lauren (1-2)
Batting:
HR: Wintlend, Brooke 1
RBI: Wintlend, Brooke 3
Base Running:
RUNS: McMillan, Emma 1 ; Warne, Taylor 1 ; Wintlend, Brooke 1
Batting:
2B: Deang 1 ; Holzopfel 1 ; Hurosky 1 ; Sieger 1 ; Bajusz 1
RBI: Deang 1 ; Holzopfel 1 ; Sieger 2
SH: Packish 1 ; Tucker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Deang 1 ; Hurosky 1 ; Tucker 1 ; Bajusz 1
CS: Spellman 1
HBP: Hurosky 2
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
'Dons Go Extras in Game One, Run Away With Game Two
3/18/2022 5:42:00 PM | Softball
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team picked up its third Horizon League win of the season, splitting with Cleveland State in the opening day of the series with the Vikings. The 'Dons went nine innings in a 4-3 loss in the first game and dominated the Vikings in game two 11-3.
GAME 1 | Cleveland State 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 3
The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons fell 4-3 in a nine-inning marathon to the Cleveland State Vikings on Friday (March 18).
Senior Lauren McConnell (1-2) came out of the bullpen for Purdue Fort Wayne and took the loss. The right-hander went five innings, giving up one run on seven hits, allowing one walk and striking out one. Shaina Eyre started the ballgame and went for 3.2 innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Mastodons were paced by sophomore Brooke Wintlend, who went 1-for-4 on the day with a home run and three RBIs.
Trailing 3-0, the Mastodons first put runs on the board in the sixth inning. Purdue Fort Wayne scored three times, all of them coming across on a three-run homer off the bat of Wintlend. Cleveland State then scored in the ninth to sneak past the 'Dons for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Purdue Fort Wayne's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed all three of its runs across.
» Wintlend's three-run homer was her fifth long ball of the season. She has eight RBIs this year.
» Cleveland State was led offensively by Jenna Deang, who went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
» Melissa Holzopfel led the Vikings pitching staff, throwing nine innings of three-run ball for the win.
GAME 2 | Purdue Fort Wayne 11, Cleveland State 3
Purdue Fort Wayne got contributions from every part of their lineup in game two, as all nine starters reached base safely, helping the Mastodons put 11 runs on the board and beat the Cleveland State Vikings 11-3 Friday.
Freshman Gracie Brinkerhoff (2-5) started in the circle and picked up the win for Purdue Fort Wayne (4-15, 3-1). The right-hander went five innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on five hits, allowing no walks and striking out two. Eyre threw two shutout innings while allowing one hit, with no walks and two strikeouts.
In the batter's box, the Mastodons were led by  Epiphany Hang, who went 2-for-4 on the day with two doubles and two RBIs.  Wintlend put together a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. Taylor Warne also chipped in for Purdue Fort Wayne, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.
The Mastodons got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Purdue Fort Wayne got an RBI single from Warne, scoring Emma McMillan from second base.
The Vikings then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Mastodons got back on the board in the third. Purdue Fort Wayne picked up two runs in the frame, the big hit being an RBI double from Wintlend, which brought the score to 3-2 in favor of the Mastodons.
Purdue Fort Wayne built its lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning. The 'Dons scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Taryn Jenkins. The Mastodons scored once in the sixth on an RBI single from Thais Uyema, bringing the score to 5-2 in favor of Purdue Fort Wayne.
Cleveland State got within 5-3, but the Mastodons blew the game open in the seventh inning with six runs. The final inning of the day was highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Hang and a two-run single from Sonia Solis.Â
GAME NOTES
» The Mastodons power output was led by Hang, who compiled two extra base hits with two RBIs on 2-of-4 in the ballgame.
» Every Purdue Fort Wayne starter reached base safely in the win.
» Purdue Fort Wayne's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed six runs across.
» The Mastodons out-hit the Vikings at an 11-6 clip.
» Purdue Fort Wayne went 6-for-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» The Mastodons drew four walks from Cleveland State pitching.
UP NEXT
The Mastodons and Vikings are scheduled to meet one more time before the 'Dons return home. That game is slated for Sunday (March 20) at 2 PM, pushed back from the originally scheduled game on Saturday due to forecasted inclement weather in the Cleveland area.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
