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Box Score 2 Feb. 20, 2016 Box Score
ROSEMONT, Ill. - After being forced to evacuate the Dome at Rosemont Friday night due to dangerous winds, the UIC softball team came back to play two and split action against Iowa and Indiana State with 3-2 decisions during the first day of action at the Total Control Sports Invitational. The Flames came away with the victory against the Hawkeyes before they were edged by the Sycamores in eight innings.
Due to the evacuation, the late-night schedule was reconfigured, with UIC taking on Indiana State in place of originally-scheduled Lipscomb.
Through the two games, the Flames combined for nine total hits, with opponents not getting many more chances at 13. Seniors Dana Capocci and Laura Swan, along with freshman Lexi Watts, each had a combined two hits. Capocci, Swan and freshman Skylee James were credited with the team's RBI, as Capocci and James each homered.
UIC 3, IOWA 2
UIC made its hits count when it needed them as it used the long ball from Capocci and James to secure the 3-2 win over Iowa. The Flames had four hits in the game, with Capocci going 2-for-3 and the freshmen pairing of Lexi Watts and James adding to the tally.
Capocci stepped to the plate in the second frame with one out and swung at the first pitch to send it to straightaway center for the solo home run. Iowa responded to go up 2-1 in the top of the fourth as it executed a RBI bunt single and then produced a RBI ground-rule double.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, it was Capocci to come around the bases yet again. She singled and advanced to second before Watts came up with an infield single as Iowa committed an error on the play that allowed Capocci to score the game-tying run.
James came up big for the Flames in the bottom of the sixth when she swung at a 0-1 count and sent the ball well out to left for her first-career home run and the 3-2 lead for UIC.
Junior Elaine Heflin pitched her second complete game of the season while she picked up her second win. She struck out five batters, walked four and allowed six hits in her 127-pitch outing.
INDIANA STATE 3, UIC 2 (8)
UIC tried to put up a final rally but it came short in the eight-inning matchup against Indiana State that was played into Saturday. Swan led the squad with two hits in three at-bats and garnered the lone RBI in the game, as Watts, sophomore Tiana Mack-Miller and senior LaRi Mitchell also collected hits.
The Flames put a run on the board in the third after Mitchell led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a single by Watts and then came in to score with two outs on an infield single from Swan.
After leaving runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings, Indiana State came up with the equalizer in the sixth. With the bases loaded on a hit by pitch, single and walk, a sacrifice fly was executed to knot the score at 1-1.
Despite adding to its hit total, UIC could not find the go-ahead run as the game went to extras. It was in the top of the eighth that the Sycamores put themselves ahead after runs scored on a RBI single and a wild pitch.
With one final push in the bottom of the eighth, James reached base on an Indiana State error before advancing and then coming around to score as freshman Claire Crane reached on another error committed by the Sycamores. However, the final out came to leave Crane at first.
Redshirt-freshman Karissa Frazier threw five innings, struck out four batters, walked one and allowed only four hits before redshirt-junior Alice Fitzpatrick took over in the circle and tossed three frames while striking out one and allowed three hits.
The Flames are back at the Dome at Rosemont on Saturday as they are set to take on Eastern Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. CT and Indiana State for a second time at 7 p.m. on day two of the Total Control Sports Invitational.
