Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The UIC softball team (3-3) was held scoreless in its first game of the SCU Bronco Classic on Friday, as it was defeated by San Jose State (10-3), 7-0, at the SCU Softball Field. Freshman and California native Taylor Cairns had two of the Flames five hits in three at-bats.

The Spartans proved to be a problem from the start as they scored early after leading off the game with a pair of singles and driving in a run on a double by Jessie Hufstetler, who went 3-for-3 with three doubles and three RBI against the Flames.

SJSU struck again in the third, when Emma Entzminger hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Four more runs came in the following two innings for the Spartans. Hufstetler hit a two-run double and Alyssa Martinez executed a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the third. Taylor Purdy then stepped to the plate in the fifth and hit a solo home run over the left field fence.

Senior Paige Peterson doubled to lead off the fourth, but was left stranded at the end of the inning. After collecting UIC's first hit of the game in the third, Cairns reached first again with two outs in the fifth before closing out the frame still on base.

The final run of the game for SJSU came in the sixth. Martinez doubled and advanced Hufstetler to third, who had led off the inning with a walk, before Entzminger produced her second sacrifice fly of the game.

The last pair of hits for the Flames both came with two outs. In the sixth, freshman Tiana Mack-Miller doubled down the left-field line, but the final out followed and she was left on second. In the seventh, sophomore Savannah Soppet came in to pinch hit and ripped the ball down the right-field line to collect her first-career triple before ending the game on base.

Freshman Karissa Frazier started on the mound for UIC and pitched four innings, struck out three batters, allowed eight hits and had three earned runs. Junior Bridget Boyle came in for two innings, registered three strikeouts, gave up three hits and earned two runs. Sophomore Elaine Heflin finished the final inning by pushing the Spartans into a three up, three down frame.

The Flames are back at the SCU Softball Field on Saturday for a rematch against SJSU at noon CT and to take on host Santa Clara at 4:30 p.m.