Box Score - Stetson

Box Score - Penn

ORLANDO, Fla. - The UIC softball team (9-7/0-0 Horizon League) swept the competition on the first day of the UCF & Holiday Inn Select Spring Fling Friday at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Fla., as the squad logged come-back victories in both contests. The Flames defeated Penn 4-3 and Stetson, 5-2.

"I was very pleased with both Ashley (Hewett) and Devin's (Miller) performances today," head softball coach Michelle Venturella said. "They kept us close today, which gave our offense the ability to come back in both games. Kara (Komp) was a spark for us today, as way Kelsey (Sturgeon), coming up with a game-winning hit against Penn. Melissa (Preish) has been consistent for us all year, and continues to get the job done. The bottom line is we kept battling today, and people came through when we needed to against two solid teams. It was a good way to start the tournament."

GAME ONE

The Flames began the contest in the field as the home team against Penn. UIC retired the Quakers in three-up, three-down fashion, as starting senior pitcher, Ashley Hewett (La Palma, Calif., John F. Kennedy), struck out the lead-off batter for the first out, followed by a groundout to sophomore Jacki Fletcher (Lowell, Ind./Lowell). The half inning was concluded with a hard-hit line drive down the third-base line, which senior Kelsey Sturgeon (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) caught.

In the top of the third inning, the Quakers placed a run on the board as Sydney Turchin hit a ball to left field, which got past junior Courtney Heeley (Glendale, Ariz./Greenway), which resulted in Turchin eventually scoring the solo run.

Hewett began the bottom half of the fourth inning with a double to right field. Sturgeon then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hewett to third base. Aguilar grounded out to the short stop, while sophomore Jenna Marsalli (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) pinch hit for freshman Erica Hampton (Wichita, Kan./Bishop Carroll) and walked, but with two runners on base, pinch hitter Kara Komp (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) grounded out to the short stop to leave the Flames fourth and fifth runners of the game on base.

The Flames placed a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning as Melissa Preish (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) singled to the short stop, before junior Coryn Schmit () grounded out to second base to advance Preish. Fletcher then singled to right field to score Preish for UIC's first run of the game.

Entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the Flames trailed the Quakers 3-1. Komp turned her wheels on to beat the throw to first base, followed by lead-off batter and senior Melinda Macias (Chino, Calif./Don Antonio Lugo), who hit a double to the left field line to advance Komp to third base. With runners on second and third, Preish hit a ball at the first baseman, who committed an error, which allowed Komp to score. Schmit then hit a sacrifice fly ball to center field, and Macias scored to tie the game at three. Sturgeon hit a single to score Fletcher to conclude the contest in a 4-3 outcome.

GAME TWO

Lead-off batter, Macias, scored in the top of the first inning as the senior reached on an error, before Preish and Schmit hit her around the bases, before Fletcher hit into a ground double play, which scored Macias.

The Hatters answered in the bottom of the second with two runs, which would the only two runs of the game. The Flames scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning, and held off the Hatters in the bottom half of play to run away with a 5-2 victory.

The Flames continue play at the UCF & Holiday Inn Select Spring Fling Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (CT) against Jacksonville, followed by host team, UCF at 3:00 p.m. Follow the team on Twitter (UICSoftball) for in-game updates, in addition to Game Tracker.

--UIC—