THE FIRST PITCH:
• Fifth-seeded Cleveland State continues play at the Horizon League Softball Championship with an elimination game on Thursday (May 8) at 11:00 a.m. at second-seeded Wright State.
• The game will be broadcast live online on the Horizon League Network.
• The loser will be eliminated from the tournament, while the winner advances to another elimination game on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. against the winner of No. 4 Youngstown State/No. 6 UIC, who play at 1:30 p.m.
• The winner of the 4:00 p.m. game will advance to the loser's bracket final and play either No. 1 Green Bay or No. 3 Valparaiso on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
• The Vikings opened the tournament with a 3-2 setback to Youngstown State in a first round game on Wednesday.
• CSU led 2-1, but the Penguins scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win.
• Erica McNew had an RBI double in the first inning and Katelind Phillips delivered an RBI double in the fourth for the Vikings runs.
• Susan Knight worked six innings, allowing three runs (two earned), while striking out three.
• The Vikings are 24-19 overall and finished the season with an 8-8 mark in the Horizon League.
• WSU dropped its first game of the tournament, 4-0, to third-seeded Valparaiso on Wednesday afternoon.
• The Raiders are 18-31 overall and finished in second place in the league with a 13-6 record.
• WSU swept a three-game series from the Vikings last weekend, winning 9-2 and 4-3 on Saturday and 4-0 on Sunday.
• The Vikings last won the league title in 2009 and have finished second five other times since 2005.
2014 Horizon League Championship Schedule
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
GAME #1: #3 Valparaiso 4, #6 UIC 3
GAME #2: #4 Youngstown State 3, #5 Cleveland State 2
GAME #3: #3 Valparaiso 4, #2 Wright State 0
GAME #4: #1 Green Bay 5, #4 Youngstown State 2
THURSDAY, MAY 8
GAME #5: #5 Cleveland State vs. #2 Wright State, 11:00 a.m.
GAME #6: #6 UIC vs. #4 Youngstown State, 1:30 p.m.
GAME #7: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 4:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 9
GAME #8: #3 Valparaiso vs. #1 Green Bay, 11:00 a.m.
GAME #9: Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8, 1:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 10
GAME #10: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9, 1:00 p.m.
GAME #11: If Necessary, 3:30 p.m.