Feb. 28, 2008

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Release in PDF Format

Games 5-8
EKU Softball Invitational
Dates: Sat.-Sun., March 1-2, 2008
Site: Gertrude Hood Field (300), Richmond, Ky.

Tournament Schedule
Saturday, March 1
CSU vs. Appalachian State, 9:30 a.m.
EKU vs. Appalachian State, 11:30 a.m.
EKU vs. Dayton, 1:30 p.m.
CSU vs. Dayton, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 2
EKU vs. Cleveland State, 9:30 a.m.
Appalachian St. vs. Dayton, 11:30 a.m.
No. 3 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 1:30 p.m.
No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 3:30 p.m.

SETTING THE SCENE: Fresh off a first place finish at the season-opening UNC-Greensboro Spartan Classic, the Cleveland State softball team (4-0) plays in its second tournament of the year this weekend when the Vikings head to Richmond, Kentucky to take part in the Eastern Kentucky Softball Invitational. The four-team tourney will take place over Saturday-Sunday, March 1-2, with each team scheduled to play four games. Round robin play begins on Saturday with CSU facing Appalachian State at 9:30 a.m. and Dayton at 3:30 p.m.. Play continues on Saturday with CSU facing host Eastern Kentucky at 9:30 a.m. The tourney concludes on Sunday afternoon with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds meeting at 1:30 p.m. and the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at 3:30 p.m.

REVIEWING WEEK ONE: The Vikings swept four games en route to claiming the team title at the UNC-G Spartan Classic. Here is a short synopsis of each of those games:

Game 1: CSU 8, James Madison 0 (5 Inn.)
Whitney Willard, Jessica Burt and Lia Gordon drove in two runs each and Amanda Macenko allowed just one hit in five innings as CSU opened the year with a five-inning, 8-0 win over James Madison.

James Madison 0 0 0 0 0 X X - 0 1 2
Cleveland State 1 0 0 5 2 X X - 8 10 0
WP: Macenko (1-0). LP: Felts (0-1).

Game 2: CSU 2, Niagara 1
CSU used a two-run sixth inning to rally from a 1-0 deficit and defeated Niagara, 1-0. CSU was held to just one hit through five innings but tied the game on a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Lia Gordon and scored the go-ahead run on an infield single by Haley Keller. Kala Allred allowed five hits in six innings to earn the win in her CSU debut while Amanda Macenko pitched the seventh to record the save.

Niagara 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1
Cleveland State 0 0 0 0 0 2 X - 2 2 2
WP: Allred (1-0). LP: McCroy (0-1). Save: Macenko (1)

Game 3: CSU 1, Maryland-Baltimore County 0
Whitney Willard's fifth-inning single drove home Jessica Burt with the only run of the game and Amanda Macenko struck out a season-high 12 while allowing just three hits as the Vikings improved to 3-0.

James Madison 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 2
Cleveland State 0 0 0 0 1 0 X - 1 3 0
WP: Macenko (2-0). LP: Gray (0-1).

Game 4: CSU 5, Central Michigan 1
Whitney Willard had three hits and a walk and four Vikings drove in a run each as CSU routed Central Michigan, 5-1, in the final game of the Spartan Classic. Amanda Macenko allowed just a fourth inning unearned run in claiming her third win of the weekend.

Cleveland State 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 - 5 8 2
James Madison 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 4 1
WP: Macenko (1-0). LP: Seddon (1-1).

WHAT TO DO FOR AN ENCORE? Sophomore Amanda Macenko returns as the most-dominant pitcher in the Horizon League. As a freshman last year, Macenko set a school record by pitching 227.1 innings (out of a possible 322). She went 26-10 with a 1.79 ERA to break Amy Kyler's school record for wins in a season. She also ranked second all-time in appearances (41) and games started (35), was sixth in shutouts (5) and seventh in strikeouts (153).

. . . AND SHE IS OFF TO A GREAT START: Macenko was in mid-season form at the season-opening Spartan Classic, allowing just one unearned run in 20 innings while going 3-0 with a save to earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors for the fifth time in her career. She threw a one-hit shutout in the tourney opener vs. James Madison and came back later in the day to pick up a save in a 2-1 win over Niagara. She started the final two games of the tourney, striking out 12 and allowing just three hits in a 1-0 win over Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday and mowing down Central Michigan, 5-1, on just four hits on Sunday.

WILLARD'S RETURN A SUCCESS: Senior Whitney Willard showed no ill affects from the concussion that caused her to miss the final 17 games last year, earning Horizon League Player of the Week honors after leading the Vikings with a .500 batting average last week. She started and hit leadoff in all four games, going five-for-10 with three runs scored, four RBI and three stolen bases to earn the league honor for the first time in her career. The owner of four 11-game hitting streaks during her career, she was fourth on the team hitting .371 a year ago, having at least one hit in 23 of the 29 contests with 10 multi-hit efforts. More impressively, she struck out just six times in 97 at bats.

A STRONG DEBUT FOR DEMATTEIS: The Vikings appear to have filled one of their most glaring weaknesses of a season ago as junior Natalie DeMatteis had a strong showing at third base during the Spartan Classic. In the four games, she hit .364 (4-11) with two runs scored and an RBI. She was errorless in the field, handling all 10 chances at third base.

IT IS THE QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY: The sophomore duo of Jessica Burt and Lia Gordon may have struggled at the plate in the four games at UNC Greensboro, combining to hit just .150 (3-20), but the duo made the most of their opportunities. Gordon had just two hits during the weekend but used them to drive in a team-best four runs, including the game-tying run vs. Niagara. Burt could manage just one hit in nine at-bats, but her two run double against James Madison ended the contest in the fifth inning.

ALLRED SUCCESSFUL IN VIKING DEBUT: Freshman Kala Allred's Viking debut got off to a rocky beginning when Felicia Coffey led off the Niagara game with a homerun but the Spirit Lake, Idaho native settled down to allow just five hits and that one run in six innings to earn the win. She struck out three and didn't walk a batter, limiting the Purple Eagles to four singles over the final five innings.

YOUTH & EXPERIENCE: The 20-player Viking roster features a mix of 11 returners and nine first-year players, giving Angie Nicholson a deep and experienced roster to work with. Despite the fact that eight of the 11 returners were starters last year, CSU has just one senior on the roster (Whitney Willard).

WILLARD'S PILFERS CONTINUE: Senior Whitney Willard picked right up in the season opener where she left off last spring, stealing three bases in the four games to move into a fourth place tie with Angie Gugov (1993-96) with 57 career stolen bases. Last year, the Nova, Ohio native was successful on 27 of her 31 stolen base attempts (in 29 games) to lead the Horizon League. In her four seasons, Willard has stolen 57 bases in 70 attempts.

KELLER DOMINATES TIME BEHIND THE DISH: After starting every game at catcher during the 2007 season, Haley Keller was expected to rotate between first base and catcher this season. That plan apparently went out the window at the season-opening Spartan Classic as the junior played all 26 innings behind the plate over the weekend. In fact, in the tourney finale against Central Michigan, she stayed on to play the final three innings despite being hit in the face in the fourth inning on a throw from rightfield. Undaunted by the mishap, she hit her first homerun of the season in the seventh to close out the 5-1 win. In the four games, she hit .385 (5-13) with two runs scored and two RBI. She was errorless in the field, handling 29 chances without a miscue and threw out one of the two runners who attempted to steal.

A TOUGH OUT: Viking opponents will find that their isn't an easy out in the CSU lineup this year as the majority of the lineup that allowed Cleveland State to finish seventh nationally with a .322 batting average returns. Led by shortstop Christa Coppus, who was 44th with a .405 average, the Vikings boast nine players returning who hit .297 or better, seven of whom will be in the regular starting lineup. 2B Amanda Houchin hit .383 and Whitney Willard hit .371 last season while Amanda Macenko (.385), Lia Gordon (.327), Haley Keller (.300), Amanda Kern (.300), Jessica Burt (.297) and Danielle Young (.297) return after strong offensive showings last year.

NEXT UP: The Vikings make their annual spring break trip to Orlando, Fla., playing as many as 12 games from March 9-15 at the Rebel Spring Games.