April 8, 2009

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

CHICAGO - The UIC softball team stepped out of league play for a doubleheader sweep of Northern Illinois on Wednesday afternoon at Flames Field.

"It was great to see such a total team effort," said head coach Michelle Venturella. "This is a great way to go into a conference weekend against Detroit."

The Flames (12-20, 4-1 Horizon) close out their homestand with a visit from Detroit this weekend, starting with a 6:30 p.m. contest on Friday, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at noon.

Game One: UIC 4, NIU 3 (8 inn.)

After a scoreless first inning by both sides, the Flames capitalized on a Huskies error to take a one run lead in the second. Melissa Marinacci opened the inning with single straight up the middle, and was brought home after first basemen Bailey Ouellette overthrew third in a pickoff attempt, allowing Marinacci to come home easily.

The third inning saw Brooke Frydendall pick up her sixth double of the year, driving the ball deep down the left-field line, bringing in another run for the 2-0 Flames lead.

NIU would not go away quietly, scoring three in the fourth off of a pair of hits to take the lead.

UIC clamped down on any more offensive opportunities from the opposition, as all six of Northern's runners remaining on base fell after the three-run fourth inning.

Shannon Kehr's first hit of the day, a well placed right-field single, tied things up at three as Stephanie Chavez rounded home safely.

With the game tied through the end of regulation, the international tiebreaker rule went into effect, placing a runner on second to open the inning. Northern was unable to score in the eighth, leaving the Flames a walk-off opportunity in the bottom of the inning.

The Flames eighth inning started with Ashley Hewett being placed on second, and a pair of walks, including an intentional walking of Sarah Clynes moved Hewett to third with two outs. A ruling of catcher's interference allowed Melinda Macias to reach first, and with no room left on the bases, Hewett came home for the game-winning run.

Hewett had a masterful outing in the circle in the Flames, scattering four hits and striking out a career-best nine, including four K's in a row in the second and third innings.

Entering this week, the freshman leads the Horizon League in batters struck out looking, and picked up four more today for a total of 37 on the season.

Game Two: UIC 9, NIU 1 (six inn.)
Like in game one, UIC started off with a silent first, allowing NIU to score a run in the second off of Ouellette's deep right-side double, advancing home to score two batters later.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, that would be the extent of the opposition's scoring, as the Flames would return the run in the bottom of the inning when Carly DeMarco hit her first career double into centerfield, driving in Christie Seddon to tie the game at one.

The Flames would go on to score in every inning thereafter, including a two-run homer from Macias, the first in her career.

UIC capped the game with three runs in the sixth for the 9-1 total, and the game was called due to the run rule set in place for non-conference play.

Macias ended the day going 3-for-4 with four RBI, and Alicia Abbott went 2-for-4 with an RBI in game two, including her second double of the season.

Clynes picked up her second win of her senior season, scattering four hits and the Huskies lone run of the outing.

"The pitchers did a great job managing NIU's hitters, while our offense kept constant pressure throughout the games this afternoon," said Venturella.