CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State softball team continues its busy stretch with six games this week, starting with a 3:00 pm game at Detroit Mercy today followed by a doubleheader on Wednesday at 12:00 pm. The Vikings then return home to host Youngstown State for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday at Viking Field.
Friday's game against YSU is slated to begin at 3:00 pm with Saturday's doubleheader scheduled for 1:00 pm.
The Vikings enter the week at 12-21 overall and 2-4 in the Horizon League and are in the midst of playing 15 games over 16 days and 20 games over the final 24 days of the season.
Detroit Mercy is 10-22 overall and 5-6 in the League, while YSU begins the week 16-20 overall (6-6 HL) and will host Robert Morris for a mid-week series.
CSU is coming off a 1-2 weekend at IUPUI where the Vikings dropped a pair of one run games on Friday before earning a 7-4 win in the series finale on Saturday afternoon.
CSU has played in 16 one run games this year, including four of its six League games.
In Friday's first game, the Vikings scored a run in the seventh inning to force extra innings, but IUPUI scored the game-winning run with two outs in the ninth inning. Mackenzie Joecken hit a grand slam in game two on Friday to knot the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning, but the Jaguars used a leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh to claim the win.
Riley Ries hit a grand slam in Saturday's win, while Kristin Catalano earned the win in relief. She worked the last four innings and gave up just one hit. Catalano entered the game with a runner on first base in the fourth inning and induced the next batter into a double play, starting a streak of 10 straight batters retired.
The Vikings have three players batting over .300 this year with Joecken leading the way. She is hitting .393 with eight runs, three doubles, four homers and 19 RBI, while Mel Woodard is batting .329 with 13 runs and three doubles. Ries is hitting .314 with right runs and leads the team in doubles (6), home runs (5) and RBI (26). Kait Gairing has scored a team-best 14 runs.
Joecken leads the Viking pitching staff with five wins and is also tops in appearances (17), games started (11), complete games (4), shutouts (2), innings pitched (62.1) and strikeouts (50). Macy Kaisk has won three games with a 3.19 ERA in 10 starts, while Catalano has been the squads top relief pitcher this year. She has made 15 appearances - all in relief - and gone 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA in 24.1 innings.
The Vikings are back in action for six games next weekend - all at home. CSU hosts Oakland for a three-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 24-25) and welcomes Northern Kentucky to Viking Field for three games on Friday and Saturday (April 27-28).