Box Score March 15, 2009
Minnesota Box Score
Louisville Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Sophomore pitcher Whitney Orellana threw the first Flames no-hitter in three years as the UIC softball team closed out the Cardinal Tournament with an 11-0, five-inning victory over Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.
UIC 11, Minnesota 0 (five inn.)
The sophomore matched her career-best strikeout count with eight K's in the Flames first victory in program history against the Golden Gophers in the second contest on Sunday.
Orellana had a perfect game going into the bottom of the third, when she would allow the only two Minnesota players of the day to reach, one off a walk and the other on a fielder's choice.
With the defensive end of the game covered, the Flames jumped out to a two-run lead off of Stephanie Chavez's first home run of the season in the first.
One inning later, UIC would put up five more runs, including a pair of season-first triples, courtesy of Melinda Macias and Brooke Frydendall.
After scoreless third and fourth innings, UIC put the nail in the coffin with another four runs for the final 11-0 score.
Every batter in the starting rotation picked up a hit for the team's highest hit count of the year, and four Flames had a multi-RBI outing, including Frydendall, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Chavez would go 2-for-3 and drove in a trio of runs in the UIC slugfest.
Orellana's no-hitter is the Flames first since Sarah Clynes did such against Cleveland State on May 13, 2006.
Louisville 6, UIC 3
The opening contest of the day had the Flames up against the 17th-ranked host Cardinals, who jumped out to a two-run lead going into the fourth inning.
UIC jumped onto the scoreboard in the fourth with Kelsey Sturgeon's single that allowed Frydendall to score.
While the Cardinals answered back with a pair of runs in the fourth for a 4-1 lead, the Flames were not intimidated by their ranked opponent. Chavez drove in a pair off of her second triple of the season to cut the deficit to a single run in the fifth.
Louisville would extend their lead with another pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth for the final score of the game.
Chavez opened up her day with a 2-for-3, two RBI performance, and Orellana struck out three in three innings of relief.
The Flames open up Horizon League action when they host Butler in a Flames Field season-opener on March 21 and 22.
