SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Cynthia Woodard had three hits and drove in two runs, but Notre Dame used a five-run fifth inning to claim an 8-4 victory over Cleveland State on Wednesday afternoon.

CSU fell to 12-8 this season, while the Fighting Irish improved to 16-11 this season.

Woodard finished the game 3-of-4 with a run and two RBI, while Nena Doran, Susan Knight, Katelind Phillips and Hannah Yoe each had one hit.

Woodard delivered an RBI single in the first inning to score Doran, but Notre Dame responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.

It remained that way until the fifth inning when Notre Dame scored five runs to take a 7-1 lead.

The Vikings came back with two tallies in the sixth inning on solo homers from Woodard and McNew, but the Fighting Irish got one run back in the bottom half of the inning.

CSU closed the gap to 8-4 with a run in the seventh inning and loaded the bases with two outs, but could not get any closer.

CSU returns to action with a three game series at Wright State this weekend to open Horizon League play. The teams will play a single game on Friday at 4:00 p.m. with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 pm.