CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State softball team dropped a pair of close games to Akron on Wednesday afternoon at Viking Field. The Vikings dropped the opener, 3-1, and the finale, 5-4.

The Vikings fell to 7-18 this year, while Akron improved to 17-15.

In the opener, the Zips took a 2-0 lead after four innings, scoring both runs when a runner on third base came into score when the Vikings threw down to second base on a stolen base.

The Vikings cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth when Riley Ries drove in Katelind Phillips with an RBI double, , but Akron added an insurance run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Alyssa Nicholas to extend the lead to 3-1.

CSU brought the game-winning run to the plate with one out after a Ries single and McNew walk, but could not score.

Ries had three of CSU's five hits in the opener, while Phillips and McNew had one hit each.

Knight worked the first 4 1/3 innings, while Kristin Catalano relieved and pitched the final 2 2/3 innings. The duo combined to give up three runs (one earned) on eight hits, while striking out three.

A one out solo home run from Phillips in the third gave CSU a 1-0 lead, but Akron responded with five unearned runs in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.

It stayed that way until the seventh when the Vikings scored three runs and put the tying run on second base, but the game ended with a groundball to the pitcher.

Ries had an RBI fielder's choice in the seventh, while Alyson Broschk delivered a two-run double.

Knight went 3-for-4 in game two, while Ries finished 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Vikings pounded out 10 hits. McNew also reached base four times on four walks.

CSU returns to action this weekend with a three-game series against UIC to open Horizon League play. The teams are slated to play a single game on Friday (April 1) at 3:00 pm and a doubleheader on Saturday (April 2) at 12:00 pm.