April 10, 2001
Box Score
Charleston, Ill. - The UIC softball team used just the right mix of pitching, defense and hitting on Monday night as they went on the road and swept a doubleheader from Eastern Illinois at Williams Field. The Flames scratched out a 3-1 victory in the first game, then stormed to a 6-0 triumph in the nightcap.
"You get 20 hits in two games hitting into the wind, only commit one error and almost get two shutouts from your pitchers, that's pretty good," remarked UIC head coach Mike McGovern after the game. "To come off a hard loss yesterday and rebound this quickly is also nice."
With the sweep, UIC (28-18) moves 10 games above .500 for the first time this season. Eastern Illinois slips to 7-23 on the year.
In game one, the Flames pounded out three runs in the fourth inning, then let starting pitcher Alycia Creese do the rest in a 3-1 triumph.
Sophomore Emily Hallmann and junior Edel Leyden started the UIC rally in the fourth by opening the frame with back-to-back singles. The duo then put themselves into scoring position for clean-up hitter Jacquelyne Vaca with a well-orchestrated double steal. The Flames' RBI leader then broke a scoreless tie with a bases-clearing triple to right to give UIC a 2-0 advantage. Senior Stefanie Christoferson came through next with the Flames' fourth straight hit, scoring Vaca with a single to center for a 3-0 UIC lead.
Three runs was all rookie Creese (14-8) would need as she went the distance, allowing just two Panther hits and one unearned run en route to her team-high 14th win of the season.
Solid Flames' pitching continued in the second game of the day as freshman Alison Aguilar notched her second career shutout in a 6-0 win over Eastern Illinois.
Aguilar, who improved to 8-3 on the year with the win, allowed just three hits in the game while striking out a career-high tying seven Panthers and walking none.
The UIC offense, meanwhile, pounded out 12 hits and capitalized on seven EIU fielding errors in plating its six runs.
The Flames got going in the top of the first as with one out Hallmann singled to center, advanced to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a throwing error by Panther shortstop Bridget Nichols.
UIC added two more runs in the third inning as Christoferson laced a RBI double down the leftfield line and Rivera notched a run-scoring single to give the Flames a 3-0 lead in a frame prolonged by three EIU errors.
Rivera (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) struck again in the fifth, bombing her team-high tying fifth home run to centerfield with Leyden (3-for-4) on for a 5-0 UIC lead.
Hallmann capped the Flames' scoring in the sixth with a RBI double to left.
UIC will look to continue its winning ways on Wednesday, April 11, as they welcome cross-town rival Northwestern to Flames Field for a doubleheader starting at 4:00 p.m.
