April 14, 2012

Box Score

CHICAGO - Nena Doran's three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning led visiting Cleveland State (12-29, 4-6 Horizon) to a 4-3 victory over Loyola University Chicago (15-18, 8-5 Horizon) in game one of a doubleheader this afternoon at Loyola Softball Park. Loyola lefthander Brittany Gardnerwas the hard-luck loser, allowing only three hits, while striking out 11 Vikings on the day. The Ramblers recorded 12 hits off CSU starter Sara Shields but stranded nine runners on base.

Loyola jumped on the board first thanks to Annie Korth'stwo-out solo home run in the bottom of the third and the game stayed that way until Doran's sixth-inning blast.

The Ramblers got a run back in the bottom half of the sixth when pinch runner Stevie Bradich scored on Jessica Balzano's sacrifice fly, but Shields escaped further damage by getting Brooke Andresento fly out to end the inning.

The Vikings added an insurance run in the seventh on a controversial call at the plate when Megan Bashak's double sent Dara Toman scurrying around the bases to score from first, on a bang-bang play at the plate that was argued by the Loyola coaching staff. That run would prove to be critical since the Ramblers cut into the Vikings' two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh. After Lauren Moore and Korth reached on back-to-back, one-out singles, Tarran Shaffermissed a game-winning home run by inches, as her deep fly was caught up against the fence in left, but went down as a sacrifice fly, with Moore scoring from third.

However, Shields preserved the lead and picked up the victory by retiring the go-ahead run with a strikeout, just her second of the day.

Korth had another big game for Loyola, going 3-for-4 and smacking her fourth home run of the season. The bottom third of the Ramblers' lineup was productive as Olivia Bell, Keali Engelkens and Balzano tallied two hits apiece.