CHICAGO, Ill. - Fifth-seeded Cleveland State scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 5-2 victory over fourth-seeded Green Bay in the opening game of the 2016 Horizon League Championship on Wednesday afternoon at Flames Field.

The win improves the Vikings to 20-30 this year and advances CSU to the second round where they will face top-seeded and host UIC on Thursday (May 12) at 1:00 pm ET. Green Bay fell to 21-32 this year and will play an elimination game at 6:00 pm ET tonight against the loser of today's other first round game between third-seeded Youngstown State and sixth-seeded Valparaiso.

Susan Knight went the distance for her sixth straight outing, earning her sixth straight win in the circle. She gave up two runs on five hits and struck out two. Over her last six starts, Knight is 6-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 24 strikeouts. She has given up just 15 runs (11 earned) over the 42 innings.

The CSU offense gave Knight an early lead with four runs in the first inning as the first four batters - Katelind Phillips, Knight, Erica McNew and Riley Ries - all reached with singles.

McNew's single drove in Phillips, giving McNew her 148th career RBI and tying Dara Toman's CSU career record. Ries followed with an RBI single to score Knight and after Mel Woodard reached on an error, Alyson Broschk delivered an RBI single to score McNew.

It was McNew's 140th career run, just one shy of tying the CSU career record held by Toman.

Woodard would come around to score the fourth run of the inning on a Phoenix error.

Green Bay cut the Viking lead in half with two runs in the third inning and it would stay that way until the sixth when CSU added an insurance run.

Phillips led off the inning with a double and after Knight was hit by a pitch, the duo moved up a base on McNew's groundout. Ries followed with an RBI groundout to push the CSU lead to 5-2.

It was more than enough of a cushion for Knight who retired the Phoenix in order in the sixth inning and worked around a Green Bay leadoff double in the seventh to earn her eighth win of the season.

Knight aided her own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run, while Phillips and Ries both went 2-for-4. Phillips scored two runs and Ries drove in two.

McNew, Broschk, Mackenzie Joecken and Kait Gairing all had one hit.