April 18, 2001

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC softball team renewed its cross-town rivalry with #10 DePaul on Wednesday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader with the Blue Demons at Wish Field. The Flames shutout DePaul in the first game, 4-0, before the Blue Demons rallied for a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

UIC (29-21), which was playing without top hitter Edel Leyden who was sidelined due to injury, notched its first win over a nationally ranked team since a season-opening win over #22 Long Beach State. The opening game loss was DePaul's (34-9-10) second straight after putting together a 19-game winning streak.

"I think our team found its chemistry books today," UIC Head Coach Mike McGovern said after the twinbill. "It was a terrific job by (Alison Aguilar) to come in and pitch the way she did. Emily Hallmann also came through and had a big day for us. Hopefully, this is the type of performance we can continue to show."

The first game of the doubleheader was all UIC as timely pitching, hitting and defense keyed the 4-0 triumph.

In the circle, freshman Alison Aguilar (9-4) out-dueled Sarah Martz (18-5), allowing just three hits and striking out two en route her third career shutout.

Despite Aguilar's performance, the score still remained scoreless in the fifth when a defensive gem by junior Jennifer Tiffany seemingly turned the tide in the Flames' favor.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth and DePaul's Sarah Douglas on second base, Tiffany made a diving stab of a line drive off the bat of Katy Kutman and doubled up Douglas at second base to end the Blue Demons' rally hopes.

The Flames then carried that momentum to the plate in the top of the sixth as they scored all four of their runs in the frame. Sophomore Hallmann (3-for-6, 2B (2), RBI) started the scoring with one out as she roped a RBI double to left. Two batters later, Amanda Rivera knocked Hallmann home with a single to center to put UIC ahead, 2-0. Senior Stefanie Christoferson then capped the rally as she knocked her team-high sixth home run off the left field fair pole to put the Flames up to stay, 4-0.

In the second game, UIC spotted Depaul an early 4-0 lead and couldn't claw back as they fell 4-2.

The Blue Demons scored all four runs, none of which were earned, in the second inning, capitalizing on a communication error in the infield and an error by Flames' first baseman Shannon Perry.

After pitcher Lindsay Chouinard led off the frame with a walk, Katy Kukman bounced one back to UIC starter Maral Binnebose (4-4). Binnebose turned and fired to shortstop Tiffany, but Tiffany was not covering the bag, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Perry's error followed to load the bases, then Binnebose seemed ready to get out of the jam as she turned Dana Jackuz' grounder into a 1-6-3 double play.

But with two outs, ninth hitter Sarah Douglas came through with a two-run single to give DePaul a 2-0 lead and send Binnebose to the showers as McGovern quickly brought in freshman Alycia Creese to stop the bleeding. Creese was unable to contain the Blue Demons right away as DePaul quickly went up 4-0 after Liz Bouck singled, stole second, and eventually scored with Douglas on Sarah Martz' two-run single.

The Flames mounted a comeback effort in the sixth, plating two runs off Chounaird (16-4) on Rivera's two-run homer to center field. The home run was Rivera's team-high tying sixth of the season and also marked the first runs allowed by Chouinard in her last 34 1/3 innings pitched. It was not enough for UIC, though, as Chouinard set down the Flames in order in the seventh to preserve a split for the Blue Demons.

McGovern's crew will be back in action on Saturday, April 21, when they travel to Detroit, Mich., resuming MCC action versus the Titans with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. EDT.