CLEVELAND, Ohio (4/25/17) – The University of Detroit Mercy kicked off a three-game set at Cleveland State with a 9-1 win over the Vikings in Horizon League softball on Tuesday afternoon from Viking Field.
 
The Titans conceded the game's first run, but scored nine unanswered runs to pull away for the win in six innings.
 
Three Titans picked up multiple hits on the day to power the offense for Detroit Mercy. Sophomore Jordan Manno went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI to push her hitting-streak to nine games. The sophomore has now reached base in 21 straight games.
 
Sophomore Kara Vitale went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI and classmate Courtney Gilbert went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Junior Savvy Ferstle rounded out the top performers after going 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored.
 
Freshman Liz Murphy was strong in the circle for the Titans and picked up her 11th win of the season after allowing one run on four hits in six innings of work.
 
Cleveland State struck first with a run in the bottom of the first, but Detroit Mercy would not be denied as the Titans scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 6-1 lead.
 
The Titans capped the game with three runs in the top of the sixth and Murphy shut down the Vikings in the bottom of the sixth to pick up the victory.
 
Detroit Mercy out-hit the Vikings 11-4 and improved to 10-7 in Horizon League play with the win. The 10 wins in conference action are the second most in the program all-time and just three back of the high-water mark of 13 set in 2006.
 
The Titans will look to carry the momentum into Wednesday's series-closing doubleheader. First pitch against the Vikings is slated for 12 p.m., with game two following at approximately 2:30 p.m. Both games are set to stream on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN applications.