DAYTON, Ohio - The UIC softball team (20-18, 11-5 HL) opened up its series with Wright State (16-28, 11-5 HL) on Friday night with a doubleheader split at the WSU Softball Field. The Flames took game on in dominating fashion, 7-1, before being edged by the Raiders, 7-6, in game two.

With the day's result, UIC and Wright State remain in a tie for second place in the Horizon League standings.

UIC went off for 24 hits on with day, with double-digit hit performances in each game. Laura Swan had a great day at the plate, going 5-for-7 with one double, one home run and three RBI. Erica Hampton was also dominant with four hits, one double and two RBI.

UIC 7, Wright State 1   Box Score 

UIC came out to hold Wright State without a run until the seventh inning while it scored seven across three frames. The Flames collected 10 hits, as Swan matched her season-high hit total set last game at Bradley with three. Kaleigh Nagle and Hampton also has multi-hit performances with two apiece.

Elaine Heflin started her 17th game and went the complete game for the 11th time. Heflin held the Raiders to four hits and struck out six batters with zero walks to gain her ninth victory of the year.

Swan put UIC up in the second after hitting a solo home run over the left field fence. The homer was Swan's third of the year, all coming in the last two games.

The Flames grabbed another run in the fourth. Nagle and Swan led off with back-to-back singles before advancing on a sacrifice bunt by Amanda Mener. Nagle was then called safe as she slid into home on a groundout play for Paige Peterson, who earned the RBI.

In the sixth, UIC pulled together five runs off five hits to go up 7-0. Tiana Mack-Miller reached on an error to lead off the frame and Nagle came up with her second single to put two on with no outs. Swan then hit the first of three doubles in the inning for UIC to score one. Mener reached on an error to load the bases before Hampton and Savannah Soppet hit consecutive doubles for two RBI each.

Wright State's lone run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth as the first two batters reached base and each moved up a base before a groundout scored the runner at third.

Wright State 7, UIC 6   Box Score 

Errors were costly for UIC as six of Wright State's seven runs were scored as a result. The Flames doubled the Raiders hit total at 14-6, with the top of the order in Taylor Cairns, Eleni Polites and Mack-Miller along with Swan, Mener and Hampton taking two hits each.

Bridget Boyle took the start for the Flames and went three complete innings while allowing just two hits and earning only one of the Raiders' runs. Heflin entered with two on in the fourth and finished the game with four strikeouts and four hits allowed.

Two came across the plate in the first inning after UIC loaded the bases and, with two outs, Mener reached on a Raiders' error that scored Polites and Mack-Miller, who each reached on the fielder's choice. Wright State knotted the score in the bottom half as the Flames committed three errors.

In the third after Polites and Mack-Miller singled, Polites scored from second on a single by Swan, but the Flames would leave the bases loaded after Mener singled to load them up. The Raiders answered after putting two on with a double and a walk and having the runner at third score on a groundout.

UIC grabbed a pair in the fourth as Hampton, Soppet and Polites singled to load the bases and Mack-Miller reached on a WSU throwing error that allowed two to score.

Wright State took its first lead of the day in the its next at-bat as it put two on before Macey Gunther singled to score one and Jess Gorman hit a two-RBI double. After a runner reached for the Raiders on a Flames' error with two outs in the sixth, Gunther doubled to go up 7-5.

Down two heading into the top of the seventh, UIC attempted a rally but came up shy after scoring one and leaving two on. Swan and Mener both singled with one out and LaRi Mitchell, in to pinch run, scored on a sacrifice fly by Peterson. The Flames left two on to end the game after Hampton singled.

UIC is back at the WSU Softball Field on Saturday to conclude the series with a single game at noon CT.