April 14, 2001
Box Score
Chicago, Ill. - The UIC softball team committed seven errors on Saturday and Loyola seemingly capitalized on every one as they swept a doubleheader from the Flames at Loyola Softball Park. The Ramblers took the first game 4-1, then edged UIC 2-1 in the second contest.
"Obviously were a team that doesn't have good chemistry," remarked UIC head coach Mike McGovern after the game. "And any team that doesn't have good chemistry and is as charitable as we were today, will never be a team."
With the sweep, Loyola (10-14) remained undefeated in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference at 4-0 while UIC drops to 1-3 in the league. The loss marked the first time the Flames (28-20) have suffered three conference defeats since joining the MCC and is the most league losses since 1993 when UIC went 14-4 as members of the Mid-Continent Conference.
In game one, the score was knotted at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Loyola turned three Flames' errors into three runs and a 4-1 lead.
UIC looked to be getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth as Amanda Ritchie, who made an error earlier in the frame, snared a line drive off the bat of Kara McEldowney and tagged the runner stranded off third for a double play. Katie Blackmore then hit what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder back to the mound, but UIC starter Alycia Creese misplayed the ball, loading the bases for Yasmin Khan. Things would get even worse for the Flames as Khan followed by hitting a fly ball to left that bounced off the glove of Amber Stachura, allowing three runs to score.
Rambler starter Jenny Rice (4-5), who worked five innings while scattering eight hits and allowing just one unearned run to picked up her fourth win of the season, would pitch to just one more UIC batter in the sixth, but Carole Gorecki came on to pitch two innings of hitless relief to pick up her first save.
UIC freshman Alycia Creese was the tough-luck loser, falling to 14-9 on the year despite allowing just three hits in 4 2/3 innings.
The loss spoiled a 3-for-4 effort at the plate by Emily Hallmann, which included a run-scoring double in the third inning.
Game two was more of the same for the Flames as four errors led to both Loyola runs in the 2-1 loss.
In the top of the first inning Blackmore singled with one out, stole second, then scored when Khan's grounder to first skipped off the glove of Creese.
UIC would later tie the game in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Edel Leyden, but the Ramblers would answer back in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead.
McEldowney reached second to open the frame on a two-base error by Creese. She was then pushed to third on a groundout by Blackmore and eventually scored on a wild pitch by Flames' starter Alison Aguilar.
Loyola pitcher Sarah Smith would finish things off from there, pitching her way out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth, then stranding Flames on first and third in the seventh as she got Jacquelyne Vaca to ground out to her to end the game and complete the sweep for the Ramblers.
Smith evened her season record at 4-4 with the win. Aguilar, meanwhile, dropped to 8-4 on the year, despite allowing just one earned run in seven innings of work.
The Flames will look to rebound on Wednesday, April 18, as travel to meet city-rival DePaul for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m.
