March 12, 2010

Minnesota Box Score
Arizona Box Score

TUCSON - The UIC softball team was unable to snap their current losing streak, falling to Minnesota and host Arizona on the first day of the Wildcat Invitational at the Hillenbrand Stadium on Friday afternoon.

The Flames (4-12) will return to action tomorrow afternoon, facing Northern Colorado at 12 p.m. and Creighton at 8:00 p.m. Central.

Minnesota 7, UIC 4 (9 Inn.)
After the Gophers scored a run off an illegal pitch, UIC came back in the bottom of the opening frame with a vengeance, getting three runs off a four consecutive outfield hits with two outs.

RBI singles from Claire Donyanavard, Teresa Aguilar as well as base hits by Stephanie Chavez, Kelsey Sturgeon and Shannon Kehr got things going for the Flames for a 3-1 lead.

Minnesota looked poised to pull within a run in the second as a deep double from right fielder Whitney Erickson moved Allie Sui to third. The next batter would be unable to get the ball out of the infield, and Christie Seddon's throw to Chavez came in time with a tag to Sui's back for the first out. A throw to cease the advancing runner got pinch runner Kelsey Klucas moving home, but Aguilar's throw back to Chavez got the runner for the double play.

DeMarco would stop a run in the fifth with an impressive throw from deep centerfield to Chavez, getting pinch runner Chonquita Jones at the plate to close out the inning.

The contest would stay quiet until the sixth, when the Gophers leveled things at 3-3 with a two-out infield error that allowed two to cross home for a tie ballgame. Minnesota would load the bases in the seventh with only a lone out gracing the scoreboard, but a Heidi Carls attempt to break open the game would be stopped by a stunning diving catch from Seddon, after the ball was tipped down by pitcher Devin Miller.

With no spoiler from UIC in the bottom of the seventh, the game proceeded to the international tiebreaker in the eighth. Minnesota made the most with a runner on second, taking a 4-3 lead. The Flames answered in kind with a Sturgeon sacrifice bunt bringing Donyanavard in for a 4-4 contest.

Gopher shortstop Abby Rehberger's infield single would give the squad in Maroon the go-ahead run, and a two-run homer would give Minnesota a three-run cushion. The Flames were unable to answer in the bottom of the ninth, dropping their four extra-inning contest of the season.

Kehr would go 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Whitney Orellana struck out five in 5.2 innings of work. Devin Miller would pick up the loss, moving to 2-5 on the season.

No. 2 Arizona 8, UIC 0
UIC kept the heavy-hitting Wildcats to a lone hit through two innings, continuing stellar defense throughout the day. Sturgeon would turn a double play by herself after nabbing a hard-hit foul lineout and tagging a batter at third.

Arizona put their mark on the board in the third, with a pair of homers accruing the games first four runs. Two doubles, including a two-out full count double from All-American Brittany LaStrapes would tack three more on in the bottom of the fourth for a 7-0 Wildcat lead. The home team would close things out in the fifth with the deciding run off an outfield RBI single for the final 8-0 tally.

Melinda Macias opened the game with a right-field single off of Kenzie Fowler, who would strike out six in her 13th win of the season. Frydendall and Sturgeon would also garner hits off of Fowler.