ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Cleveland State softball team dropped a pair of contests against Oakland on Saturday afternoon to finish a four-game weekend series against the Golden Grizzlies, falling 8-1 before a 7-2 defeat in the final matchup.

GAME ONE - Golden Grizzlies 8, Vikings 1
Oakland plated three runs in the opening inning, but the Vikings were able to stay within striking distance until a four-run fifth frame by the home team put the game out of reach.

Cleveland State adopted a small-ball approach en route to cutting the deficit to 3-1 in the third inning. Kaelin Ettinger recorded a leadoff single before moving to second on Jenna Deang's sacrifice bunt and advancing to third on a groundout by Kiera Frascone. Ettinger came around to score on Aly Packish's single to left field.

Hanna Griffin entered the circle with one out in the opening inning and limited the damage, retiring the next five batters she faced. Griffin went on to finish the game for Cleveland State and was charged with five runs on 10 hits across 5.2 innings of work.

Frascone swiped her team-leading 13th stolen base of the campaign after notching an infield single to open the game. Jenna Deang went 2-2, picking up her third multi-hit game of the season.

GAME TWO - Golden Grizzlies 7, Vikings 2
As it did in the opening game, Cleveland State hung around for the majority of the contest but fell victim to a four-run fifth frame in a 7-2 loss to close the series.

Oakland had a chance for another multi-run lead in the first inning, but Courtney Fernette almost singlehandedly limited the damage to 1-0, gunning down a pair of base-stealers. Fernette became the ninth Viking to notch multiple caught stealings in a game and the first since Riley Ries accomplished the feat on March 16, 2019 while becoming the current #HLSB leader with seven runners caught stealing on the year.

The Golden Grizzlies stretched their lead to 2-0 in the third before adding four more on a grand slam in the fifth and tacking on another run in the sixth for a commanding 7-0 edge.

The first two Vikings reached base in the seventh inning when Valeri Broschk singled and Katie Holmes drew her second walk of the game.

Mackenzie Tucker hit a two-out single to right center to score Broschk and break Oakland's shutout bid. On the next at-bat, Holmes scored on a wild pitch while Tucker was thrown out trying to advance from first to third on the play.

Tucker went 2-4 with an RBI while Holmes reached base twice and scored a run in her first action since a season-opening series against Bowling Green on Feb. 13.

UP NEXT

The Vikings close an eight-game road trip with next weekend four-game set against UIC. First pitch on Friday, April 16 is slated for noon.

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