Green Bay, WI-The Cleveland State softball team moved back over .500 in Horizon League play with a victory over Green Bay in the first of a three-game weekend series at Green Bay's King Park. The Vikings scored all eight of their runs in the final three innings in claiming the 8-3 win.
Cleveland State improves to 4-3 in conference play while Green Bay falls to 2-8. It is the second win in a row for CSU after closing last weekend's series against Oakland with a victory at Viking Field.
Green Bay scored the first run of the game on an RBI triple by Lauren Porter. Porter hit a shallow pop up down the right field line that dropped in and caromed all the way to the right field corner allowing a run to score all the way from first base.
Cleveland State had several chances to crack the scoreboard in the early going. The Vikings advanced a runner to third base in the second, third and fourth innings, but each time Green Bay was able to work out of trouble and keep the Vikings scoreless.
That changed in the fifth as the Cleveland State offense finally cashed in to the tune of six runs. Cleveland State put runners on second and third to open the inning thanks to a hit by pitch and a throwing error. Becky Hurosky then found the gap in left center field to bring the two runs home, as Melissa Holzopfel and Jenna Deang crossed the plate. With two outs, Cleveland State collected four straight hits to add on four additional runs. Sophie Spellman singled to put runners at the corners, and then Peyton Mueler-Stenz, Kiera Frascone, and Brooke Albaugh followed with run scoring hits to put the Vikings up 6-1 at the end of the inning.
Green Bay scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, but Cleveland State tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh as Holzopfel delivered a two-RBI triple to left center field to make it 8-3.
Holzopfel was stellar in the circle, earning her sixth win of the season after pitching a complete game while yielding just five hits and one earned run. Holzopfel set a new season high with 13 strikeouts, one away from tying her career high of 14.
Seven of the nine Viking starters collected at least one hit in the game. Mueller-Stenz was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI. Frascone and Spellman each finished 2-for-4 and Jenna Deang finished 2-for-3 for the game. Holzopfel, Albaugh and Hurosky each finished with two RBI.
The two teams will be back in action tomorrow for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
