Honolulu, HI-The Cleveland State softball team fell in the final two games of its Hawaiian road trip, falling to UConn 8-3 in game one and Hawaii 6-1 in the second game. The Vikings wrap up non-conference play with a 4-11 record with the start of Horizon League play next week against IUPUI.

In the opening game UConn got off to a fast start. The Huskies pushed across a single run in the second and four in the fourth off of Vikings starter Torrie Jenkins to take a 5-0 lead. 

Cleveland State scored all three of its runs in the fifth to cut into the deficit. Melissa Holzopfel singled home Kiera Frascone to make it 5-1 and then a two-run single from Becky Hurosky scored Holzopfel and Jenna Deang to make it 5-3. 

UConn quickly responded with three runs in the home half of the fifth to push the lead back to five runs at 8-3. Cleveland State was unable to push a run across in the final two frames.

In the second game the Vikings took an early lead against Hawaii. Freshman Dakota Staffan recorded her first career hit and RBI, singling home Emma Gilkerson to give Cleveland State a 1-0 lead. 

That lead held up until the fifth, when Hawaii struck for all six of its runs on the strength of four hits and two Cleveland State errors. The Vikings could only record one baserunner in the final two innings and did not score the rest of the way. 

Cleveland State returns to action on Friday, March 15 as the Vikings take on IUPUI in Indianapolis for the opening game of Horizon League play for both teams.