RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky beat Cleveland State 6-4 and Appalachian State 6-1 on the final day of the EKU Invitational at Gertrude Hood Field. The Colonels (8-4) won two of three games in the two-day event. Cleveland State began play on Friday with a 4-0 record but leave Richmond with a 5-2 mark. Appalachian State, coached by former Colonel Amy Herrington, drops to 1-12 on the season.

In the first game, Cleveland State scored twice in the top of the first to grab the early lead. Whitney Willard led off the inning with a single and Christa Coppus followed with a two-run shot over the left field fence.

The Colonels answered in the bottom of the inning. With one out and a runner on, senior Adriel Foxley sent a pitch over the fence down the left field line.

A two-run double to the gap in left center by CSU’s Willard broke the tie in the top of the fourth. EKU’s Jena Handley had the answer in the bottom of the fourth. The sophomore catcher drove an 0-2 pitch over the fence in left center with Shyenne Hussey on base ahead of her.

Eastern Kentucky put runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth with one out. A wild pitch allowed Katie Rolf to score and give the Colonels their first lead of the game. Chanze Patterson moved from first to third on the play and then scored on a fielder’s choice to give EKU a 6-4 lead.

Jodi Pence induced Cleveland State into an inning-ending double play in the top of the sixth to thwart a Viking rally. Willard timed her jump at the fence just right to rob Rolf of a home run to end the bottom of the sixth and keep it a two-run game. Pence retired the side in order in the seventh to secure the win for the Colonels.

Pence improved to 3-0 on the season after tossing three innings in relief. She allowed just one hit, did not walk any batters and struck out two. Amanda Macenko (4-1) went the distance for Cleveland State. She allowed five earned runs on six hits and struck out four.

Despite a total of nine base runners, starters Stacye Toups for EKU and Yancy Moose for Appalachian State kept the game scoreless through the first two and a half innings of the final game of the day.

The Colonels finally broke through in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded Erin Luther laced a two-out double down the right field line to score Foxley and Rolf for a 2-0 Eastern lead.

EKU doubled its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Foxley drove in one with a double to left center.

The Mountaineers got on the board in the fifth. Sarah Rape scored on a ground out to make it a 4-1 game. Meagan Squartino drove a ball into right field with the bases loaded but Rolf made a shoestring catch to end the inning, and the threat. A sacrifice fly by Patterson and an RBI single by Amber Lenz in the bottom half of the inning extended the lead to 6-1.

Lenz and Luther each finished 2-for-3. Luther drove in two runs while four other Colonels had one RBI each. Rappe went 3-for-4 for Appalachian State.

Toups pitched four scoreless innings to even her record at 2-2. The freshman gave up four hits and two walks while striking out two. Pence earned a save in the second game after picking up a win in the first game.

The Colonels will begin play on Thursday at the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament hosted by the University of Hawai`i. EKU will face Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. (ET) and Hawai’i at 10 p.m. (ET).

The results from each game of the EKU Invitational are listed below.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1
Cleveland State 12, Appalachian State 2
Dayton 7, Eastern Kentucky 4

SUNDAY, MARCH 2
Cleveland State 3, Dayton 8
Cleveland State 4, Eastern Kentucky 6
Dayton 2, Appalachian State 1
Appalachian State 1, Eastern Kentucky 6