May 10, 2002
Box Score
Dayton, Ohio - With one swing sophomore Amanda Rivera set the tone for the UIC softball team on Friday afternoon at the 2002 Horizon League Tournament.
With the Flames trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning in their second-round match-up versus #5 Cleveland State, it looked as though the tournament's trend of higher-seed upsets might continue.
But with two outs, Rivera launched a two-out, two-run homer over the leftfield wall to open the flood gates to a UIC offensive onslaught. An onslaught that wouldn't end for the rest of the day as the Flames advanced to the title game of the tournament with a 9-2 triumph over the Vikings and a 14-0, five-inning victory over #6 Butler.
All in all, UIC tallied 26 hits and scored 23 runs on the Friday, improving its team tournament batting average to .476.
The Flames (41-20), who eclipsed the 40-win mark for the 10th straight season, will now await the winner of tomorrow's #2 Loyola/#6 Butler match-up in the championship game slated for 10:00 a.m. CDT, at Dayton's Stuart Field.
In UIC's first game of the day, Cleveland State plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first off starter Alycia Creese for an early 2-0 lead.
The Flames would answer right back, though, tying the score on Rivera's 13th home run of the season. It was her sixth career blast versus the Vikings and fourth career league tournament home run.
UIC would take the lead (3-2) later in the frame on a RBI double by sophomore Jacque Vaca.
The Flames advantage would grow to 6-2 in the fourth as rookie Sara Hernandez drove in a run with a single to left field, before Amber Stachura, who went 4-for-4 in the game, drove in one more with a single. Another Flames runner crossed the plate on the Stachura's single on an error by CSU leftfielder Michelle Nicholas.
A pair of sacrifice flies by UIC in the bottom of the sixth by Vaca and Cameron Astiazaran, along with a RBI single by Hallmann pushed the score to the final 9-2 tally.
Nine runs proved to be more than enough for Creese (15-5), who scattered four hits and struck out four en route to jer 15th win on the year. Kortney Spidell was pegged with the loss to fall to 11-10 this year.
UIC's win over the Vikings moved them into a showdown with #6 Butler in a battle between to the two remaining undefeated teams in the tournament.
The Flames, who were looking to avenge a loss earlier in the season to the Bulldogs, did just that, putting up nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to run-rule Butler, 12-0, in five innings.
Already up 3-0 on the Bulldogs with one out in the fourth inning, UIC put 11 straight runners on base with nine tallying hits in the nine-run outburst. Edel Leyden, Tiffany, Hernandez (2 RBI), Vaca, Astiazaran, Creese, Amy Peters and Mary-Beth Schuster all drove in runs in the inning. Schuster's was the first of her career at UIC.
Horizon League Co-Pitcher of the Year Alison Aguilar worked all five innings, surrendering just one hit to pick up her team-best 21st win of the season. Aguilar is now 9-0 this year against Horizon League schools.
Melissa Benter was tagged with the loss for the Bulldogs, falling to 7-12 this season.
GAME NOTES: Versus Cleveland State, Ambers Stachura tied the UIC school record with four hits in the game...the Flames are now 24-1 in game Amanda Rivera hits a home run...UIC is batting .476 (39-for-82) as a team in the tournament...the Flames have outscored their opponents 29-2 in their three tournament games...UIC has outscored league opponents 126-21 this season.
