CLEVELAND -- Cleveland State will open the Horizon League portion of its schedule with a three-game series at UIC beginning on Friday (March 22). The Vikings and Flames are schedule to play one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday (March 23).
The teams will open the series at 5 p.m. EST on Friday and then play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.
Cleveland State, which is 6-16 overall, posted a 1-0 victory over Connecticut in its most recent game at the Mercer Bears Classic in Macon, Ga., last weekend. Hanna Griffin tossed a shutout for the Vikings as she went all 8.0 innings and Sydney Bajusz drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly that scored Aly Packish.
Griffin, who leads the Vikings with four wins, tossed her first career shutout and also posted the Vikings first shutout in the win over the Huskies.
Cleveland State has been led offensively by junior Kelly Hysong and senior Riley Ries. Hysong leads the Horizon League with six home runs and a .674 slugging percentage, while Ries is tied for third in the Horizon League with seven doubles.
Hysong tops the team in batting average (.349), runs (11), hits (30), doubles (8), home runs (6), RBIs (15), total bases (58) and slugging percentage. Ries leads the Vikings in on-base percentage (.429) and is second on the team in hits (18), doubles, RBIs (11) and slugging percentage (.410).
Hanna Breeden is hitting .286 for the season and is tied with Packish for third on the team with six runs batted in, while Jordan Humitz and Sydney Bajusz each have one home run.
Griffin is 4-6 on the season with a 4.80 earned run average, while Hysong has posted a 2-6 mark and a 5.73 ERA.
UIC, the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, is currently 7-14 on the season.
The Flames lead the all-time series with the Vikings 52-25.
