By: Stephen Wagner

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) –Green Bay collected the fourth seed in the Horizon League Tournament and opened the tourney in game one against Cleveland State this afternoon. The Phoenix trailed for the majority of the contest but used a two-run seventh inning to defeat the Vikings 6-5 in the opening game of the tournament.

Green Bay 6, Cleveland State 5

The Horizon League Player of the Year, Cynthia Woodard, made her presence known early in the game, sending one deep over the fence in left field to give the Vikings a 1-0 advantage after the top of the first.

Green Bay responded to the deficit immediately and plated two runs in the bottom of the first. Hailey Mohrfeld led the inning off with a single up the middle and extended her hitting streak to 14 games. Mohrfeld was allowed to touch home later in the inning off of an Abby Brinkmeier single to center field. Brinkmeier was also able to reach home in the inning, coming around from second on a throwing error by the shortstop to give Green Bay a 2-1 lead.

Cleveland State broke the game open in the second inning of play, plating one run from a Yoe double down the right field line that scored Philips and an additional two runs from a defensive mishap in the outfield that would have otherwise ended the inning.

Green Bay kept it close by adding a run in the bottom of the third to make it a one-run game. The Phoenix run came after a string of three hits from Katelyn Huemmer, Abby Brinkmeier and Allie Taylor, with Taylor picking up the RBI single that plated Huemmer.

The fourth inning saw no offensive production from either team, but Cleveland State managed to turn it around in the fifth inning by adding one run from a McNew RBI single that scored Choe.

Green Bay would again respond by adding one run in the sixth inning after Huemmer hit one deep off the wall in center field to score Mohrfeld from second and lower the Vikings' lead to one run heading into the final inning.

Heather Sanderson entered the game in the top of the seventh in relief of Briana Cavin, with Sanderson going on to retire the side and pick up a strike out in the process.

The bottom of the seventh found the Phoenix trailing by one run. Allie Taylor led the inning off with a double to right center, giving the Phoenix a runner in scoring position with no outs. Katie Rossman then entered the game as a pinch runner for Taylor to represent the tying run. With Rossman on second and no outs in the inning, Miranda Spangberg stepped up to the plate and singled through the left side to advance Rossman to third and give Green Bay runners on the corners with no outs. Rossman was then able to score in the next at-bat on a wild pitch, tying the game at 5-5 with no outs and a runner on second. Allie Hislope used the next at-bat to advance Spangberg to third by hitting a ground ball to the left side. Once Spangberg was on third, she was able to take advantage of a wild pitch and score the game-winning run to defeat Cleveland State 6-5.

Briana Cavin started the game for Green Bay and provided the Phoenix with six innings of work, allowing eight hits, five runs (three earned) and fanning five batters.

Hailey Mohrfeld finished the game 2-for-4 and scored two of Green Bay's six runs, while Miranda Spangberg collected two hits in three at-bats and scored the game-winning run.

The Phoenix softball team will return to action tomorrow at 11 a.m. against host and No. 1 seed Oakland.

To view the bracket of the Horizon League Tournament, click here.

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