April 11, 2009

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

CHICAGO - The UIC softball team honored seniors Sarah Clynes and Melissa Marinacci on Saturday in the doubleheader against Detroit, and in turn the duo performed spectacularly, guiding the team to a series sweep of the Titans at Flames Field.

UIC (15-20, 7-1 Horizon League) heads to the north for a three-game series at Green Bay, starting with a doubleheader on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Game 1: UIC 7, Detroit 0
As was the case in Friday night's outing, the Flames got off to a hot start off the efforts of seniors Clynes and Marinacci, scoring three in the first inning with the aide of Marinacci's two-RBI right center single.

Clynes would drive in a run in the second off her first of two doubles, driving Carly DeMarco home after she stole her 15th stolen base of the season to move herself into scoring position. The sophomore would pick up another in game two to go a perfect 16-for-16 this season thus far.

Shannon Kehr, who is second on the team with a .500 batting average against Horizon League opponents, went yard for her first career home run in the third, a deep left field hit that went against the pesky winds blowing in the opposite direction for most of the day.

Clynes would score the Flames next run in the fifth, her 26th career home run to stretch the game out to the final 7-0 decision for the first outing of the day.

Ashley Hewett kept the Titans at bay in the circle, not allowing more than two hits in more than one inning. The freshman picked up her third win in league play, striking out seven while giving up seven hits to move to a season ERA of 2.92, while she sits at 1.94 in league action.

Game 2: UIC 5, Detroit 4 (10 inn.)
The Flames continued to hit very well in the nightcap, jumping out to a two run lead with RBI singles from Brooke Frydendall and Kehr.

Detroit, who had been shut out in the past two contests, put their first runs on the board in the third inning, going up 4-2 off of two singles and a double with the Flames lone error of the day coming into effect for the Titans lead.

After that, starting pitcher Clynes clamped down on any scoring chances for Detroit, striking out seven while the Flames impressive defense pitched in and did not allow a Titan to reach until a right field single in the eighth.

Kehr would bring the Flames within a run when her sacrifice fly out to left field drove in Frydenall, and sophomore Christie Seddon tied things up at four with her first single of the day, a deep left field single that allowed Clynes, who had opened up the inning with her first triple of the season, to score easily.

Both sides would stay tied through 10 due to impressive diving stops from both squads. But Carly DeMarco put herself into scoring position off a Detroit thirdbasemen error that moved her to second.

One batter later, Clynes' walk-off RBI double allowed DeMarco to reach and the Flames to pick up their sixth win in conference action.

In seven at bats between both games, Clynes had six hits including three doubles, a triple and a home run for four runs and four RBI. Fellow senior Marinacci picked up five hits and a triple for a pair of RBI in nine at bats.

The Flames went 6-1 during their homestand, only falling to Youngstown State last weekend.