April 9, 2002
(Due to technical upgrades with our web company boxscores will not be able to be posted until Wednesday afternoon. The UIC sports info. office apologizes for this inconvenience.)
DeKalb, Ill. - The UIC softball team got a good mix of timely hitting and pitching on Tuesday as they went on the road to sweep a doubleheader from Northern Illinois, 6-3 and 7-1, at Mary M. Bell Field.
Whether in the field or at the plate, the Flames seemingly responded in every clutch situation versus the Huskies. On offense, UIC plated a total of seven runs with two-out hits while the pitching staff stayed away from the big inning by stranding 14 NIU players on base, including nine in scoring position on the day.
"Offensively, that is the way we need to come out and play," Co-head coach Tom Gray said of his team scoring runs early on Tuesday. "Our pitchers also really beared down when they had to. They really hit their spots when we needed them to."
In game one, UIC built itself a 6-0 lead after three innings then thwarted several Northern Illinois scoring chances to hold on for the 6-3 victory.
Sophomore Alison Aguilar, who pitched 5 1/3 innings, picked up the win to move to a team-best 11-7 on the year. Alycia Creese entered in relief in the sixth and picked up her first save of the season. NIU's Amy Krahula was tagged with the loss to fall to 4-9.
UIC wasted little time getting things going, plating a pair of runs in the opening frame. A well executed double steal with Edel Leyden taking second and Cameron Astiazaran swiping home accounted for the first tally. Two batters later, Amber Stachura, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the twinbill, drove in Leyden with a double down the rightfield line.
In the third, the Flames added to their lead as Stachura tallied her second RBI of the day with a single. Sophomore Jacque Vaca then broke things open later in the frame as she drove in three runs with a two-out, bases clearing double to left-centerfield to put UIC up, 6-0.
That would be the Flames last hit of the game, though, as Krahula settled down and was near perfect the rest of the way.
UIC would pitch their way out of jams in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, though, to secure the win as the Huskies left eight runners on base in the contest, six in scoring position.
The Flames got things going early, once again, in the second game as Stachura started the attack with a solo home run in the second inning. It was her career-best seventh homer on the year.
UIC wasn't done, though, scoring two more in the frame on an RBI single by Emily Hallmann and a bases-loaded walk by Jennifer Tiffany, who would later extend her team-best hitting streak to nine games with a hit in the seventh.
In the third inning, the Flames would have to deal with injuries on successive plays. Starter Rory Gonzales-Gould was forced out of the game with two outs in the frame after taking a comebacker off the pitching hand. On the very next play, first baseman Hallmann had her lip severely split when a low throw from third baseman Sara Hernandez one-hopped her in the face as she attempted to stretch for it.
The UIC bench would pick up for its fallen starters with reliever Amanda Ritchie coming on to allow just one run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings of work to pick up her second win of the year.
Freshman Kristin Cumbo also came in and performed well, tabbing a hit in three plate appearances. Her single in the top of the seventh started a four-run rally that broke open a tight ballgame. Cameron Astiazaran started the scoring with a RBI fielder's choice, then Jacque Vaca broke the game open with another key two-out hit, lacing a two run single to right. Sara Hernandez, who went 3-for-3 in the second game with two doubles, then capped the rally with a RBI knock to leftfield.
After playing the first 37 games on the road, UIC will get to play in the friendly confines of Flames Field on Thursday, April 11, as they host nationally-ranked DePaul for a doubleheader starting at 4:00 p.m.
