KENT, Ohio - The Cleveland State softball team dropped a pair of games at Kent State on Tuesday afternoon, falling 10-5 in the opener and 3-1 in the nightcap.

The Vikings fell to 19-16 overall, while Kent improved to 28-9 this season.

Erica McNew went 3-for-6 in the twinbill, including her 10th home run of the season. She also drove in two runs. Nena Doran had three hits in the doubleheader, while Katelind Phillips and Susan Knight both had two hits.

McNew gave CSU an early 1-0 in the opener with an RBI single in the first, but the Golden Flashes came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.

The Vikings used a solo homer from Alisha Silva in the second and another from McNew in the third to knot the contest at 3-3, but Kent State responded with four runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 9-3 lead.

A two-run homer by Susan Knight in the fifth brought the Vikings within 9-5, but the Golden Flashes added another run in the sixth to provide the final margin.

An RBI single by Doran gave the Vikings a 1-0 in the third inning of game two, but two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth allowed Kent State to take a 3-1 lead and the Vikings could get no closer the rest of the game.

Knight was strong in the circle, allowing just three runs (two earned) on five hits over six innings and striking out two.

CSU is back in action on Friday (April 17) when the Vikings host Valparaiso at 3:00 p.m. at Viking Field. It will be the Horizon League home opener for CSU.