March 21, 2009

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

CHICAGO - The UIC softball team opened Horizon League action with a pair of one-run victories over Butler in the first home series for the Flames of the season.

Game One: UIC 5, Butler 4
The Flames (7-17, 2-0 Horizon) opened up the afternoon by getting on the board first, courtesy of Ashley Hewett's RBI single that drove in Brooke Frydendall.

Butler would answer back in the third off of the first of three Bulldog solo home runs in the inaugural contest at Flames Field in 2009.

Both squads would trade runs in the middle of the game, and Butler scored a pair in the top of the sixth to go up 4-3.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Hewett jacked her second home run of the season deep over the left field wall to pull the Flames within one. Four batters later, Melinda Macias right-center field single allowed pinch runner Carly DeMarco to score for the go-ahead and final run of the contest.

Macias would go 2-for-4 in the first game with a pair of RBI. Hewett would also drive in a pair in her first game since March 7.

Whitney Orellana would pick up her third win of the season, while the starter Hewett would be credited with the win, scattering seven hits and striking out four.

Game Two: UIC 6, Butler 5 (9 inn.)
The Flames would take a three-run lead over the Bulldogs in game two through four innings, including Stephanie Chavez's second home run of the season.

Butler would not go quietly, slowly creeping back into contention with a run in the fifth off of the shortstop Bridget Paine's triple that would eventually score.

Three hits for the Bulldogs in the sixth would convert into a pair of runs and tie matters up heading into the seventh inning, and took the lead off of a Annie Dolan's RBI single straight up the middle.

The Bulldogs looked to create an even larger cushion before the Flames came up to the plate, but Carly DeMarco's perfect throw from deep center field to home plate capped the inning as catcher Chavez tagged out Lindsay Schluge for the third out.

One pitch into the seventh inning was all Christie Seddon would need to wallop her first career home run over the center field wall and tie things up for the Flames, heading the game into extra innings.

Both squads would trade a pair of runs in the eight, with the Alicia Abbot's well-placed ground out allowing Chavez to score.

After Orellana struck out a pair in the ninth to keep the Bulldogs at bay, Sarah Clynes would close out the game with a one-out double straight down the right field side. As she was approaching third, the cutoff man threw the ball into the Flames dugout along the third base side, which was ruled a two-base error, bringing the senior home for the 6-5 final score.

Chavez and Seddon would both go 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Orellana struck out seven in 8.1 innings for her second win of the day.

The Flames will close out the three-game series against the Bulldogs tomorrow at 1 p.m.