April 17, 2010

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

CHICAGO - The UIC softball team scored five unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to defeat visiting Valparaiso in the first game of a doubleheader split at Flames Field Saturday afternoon.

UIC (10-29, 3-6 Horizon) broke up Sam McGee's no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth with a run to avoid a shutout in a 9-1 loss to close out the afternoon. The Flames tangle with the Crusaders in the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.

GAME ONE: UIC 5, Valparaiso 2

The visiting Crusaders struck first in the opening contest with two outs in the second as catcher Lisa DeBruzzi's deep left-center double drove in Jessie Marinec, who was hit by a pitch to reach first.

Valpo would stike again in the third, as the Flames would commit one of the contest's six errors to allow Joylyn Ichiyama to reach first, with a wild pitch moving her into scoring position at second. A fielder's choice moved pinch runner Hayley Bridwell to third, and Crusaders third baseman Sadie Conner's single allowed Bridwell to score uncontested.

With only two hits and three reaching base in the first three innings, the Flames got hot in the fourth, starting with Ashley Hewett's inning-opening single along the left-field line. Shannon Kehr would follow suit with a well-hit double to left field.

Hewett would score amidst Carly DeMarco's at bat, who would reach after Valpo's first baseman Kelsey Phalen muffed an infield putout that allowed Hewett to go home.

Kelsey Sturgeon would tie things up at two with an outfield sacrifice fly that drove in Kehr, and Claire Donyanavard would keep the inning alive with a single in the 4-6 gap. After Christie Seddon successfully stole second, a passed ball would move her to third.

The second error of the inning would fall during Melinda Macias' at bat, as Phalen again misplayed the ball, letting Seddon score the Flames' fourth run to go up by two.

Valpo would leave a pair stranded on base in the top of the fifth, and UIC tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the frame as Coryn Schmit's first hit of the day would be a deep enough single to left field that allowed Hewett to score for the final 5-2 tally.

Devin Miller would strike out five and give up two hits with the pair of runs, only one of which was earned for her fourth win of the season.

GAME TWO: Valparaiso 9, UIC 1 (Six Innings)

Game two would have a very different feel to it, as Valpo would jump out to a 6-0 lead with a pair of runs in the second and a four-run third inning.

The Crusaders' pitcher Sam McGee kept the Flames at bay entirely through five with a lone walk and an infield error allowing UIC to reach first keeping her no-hitter intact.

A trio of runs in the top of the sixth off of four consecutive singles gave Valpo a 9-0 lead. With one out in the bottom of the frame, pinch hitter Donyanavard broke up the no-hitter with a single straight up the middle that grazed off of McGee's glove.

An infield putout would move the runner to second, who would then score off a throwing error by McGee for the 9-1 final score.

All three Flames hurlers would make an appearance in the nightcap, accruing three strikeouts and seven earned runs.