CLEVELAND – Behind another brilliant pitching performance from
Jennah Speth, IUPUI split the double header with Cleveland State, picking up an 8-1 win the second game of the day. The Vikings beat IUPUI 10-2 in five innings in the first game of the afternoon.
With the win, IUPUI earned a 3-1 series win over the Vikings.
IUPUI 8 – Cleveland State 1
In the second game of the day, the Jags responded from an earlier defeat thanks in large part to the arm of
Jennah Speth. One day after throwing a perfect game, Speth allowed one run on two hits and sat down the first 11 batters she faced. Overall, Speth did not allow a hit for the first 10 2/3 innings against the Vikings over the weekend.
As Speth was cruising, IUPUI's offense got going. Both
Jordan Barnes and
Maicey Bedrick finished the day 3-for-4 and
Jaida Speth and
Hailey Pop each added two hits. In total, IUPUI tallied a season-high 13 hits and eight runs.
After three innings of only picking up two hits, the Jags got things going in the fourth. Barnes led off the inning with a solo home run, her second on the season. With one out,
Rachael Gregory walked and
Jaida Speth followed with a single to center. After a pitching change and a ground out, Pop delivered a two-RBI single to left center to put IUPUI up 3-0.
The Jags extended the lead in the fifth as Barnes singled to right field to bring home
Kasie Keyes, who walked to start the inning.
Jennah Speth, who had singled earlier in the inning, scored on a bunt by Bedrick, who beat the throw to first. After two strikeouts,
Abbey Haas singled to center to score Barnes and Bedrick came around to score after an error by the center fielder.
IUPUI tacked on its final run of the game on another error that allowed Bedrick to score after she had doubled with two outs.
The Vikings first hit of the game came in the fourth and the runner moved to second on a wild pitch but Speth shut down that threat with a strikeout. In the sixth, Cleveland State took advantage of an error to put its first run on the board, getting a sac fly after a fielding error to start the inning and a single and sac bunt put the runner on third.
For the afternoon, Speth finished with six strikeouts and over the weekend, tallied 16 strikeouts while allowing just two hits, not walks and one unearned run.
CLEVELAND STATE 10 – IUPUI 2 F/5
Things did not go as planned for the Jags in the first game of the day as IUPUI lost in five innings to the Vikings, 10-2.
Cleveland State homered in the first to take a 1-0 lead but the Jags responded with a single by Keyes in the third inning to score
Morgan Gilbert to tie the game.
Lexi Lucas gave up a three run home run in the bottom of the fourth as the Vikings jumped out to a 4-1 lead.
In the fifth, Barnes singled home
Jennah Speth but things unraveled for IUPUI in the fifth inning. Four batters came to the plate before the first out was recorded and a fielding error allowed the first run of the inning to score. After a pitching change, two straight singles, combined with another error brought home four more runs, making the score 9-2. The Jags managed to get two outs but Cleveland State got a walk-off single after a walk to close out the game in five innings.
UP NEXT
IUPUI will come home to face off against Green Bay for a mid-week double header on Tuesday (March 23) beginning at 2 p.m. at the IUPUI Softball Complex.
