SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The UIC softball team (7-4) came away with its first win at the Santa Clara Invitational on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Creighton (4-10) before it suffered a 4-2 loss to the host Broncos (3-7) at the SCU Softball Stadium.
 
The Flames struggled to get their offense going in both games as they combined for just nine hits, marking seven straight games they have been held to less than 10 hits. Savannah Soppet and Lexi Watts were the only players to have more than one hit, while Soppet and Taylor Cairns tabbed the lone RBI.
 
UIC will close out play on the West Coast on Sunday when it takes on South Dakota in a rematch at 11 a.m. CT.
 
UIC 3, Creighton 2
 
A pair of insurances runs scored in the seventh inning proved to be crucial for UIC as Creighton came within one in the final frame before the Flames took the victory. UIC went hitless until the sixth inning and ended the game with four tallies from Tiana Mack-Miller, Soppet, Claire Crane and Cairns.
 
Karissa Frazier was strong in the circle and went the complete game as she picked up her third win of the year with just five hits allowed and two walks.
 
The Flames put the first run on the board in their first round at the plate. Mack-Miller led off with a walk, advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Watts and stayed on as Kayla Wedl walked. On the next play, Mack-Miller was out at third on a fielder's choice, but Wedl caught Creighton off guard and went to third before scoring on a throwing error.
 
The Bluejays put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the second as a walk, single and UIC error loaded the bases but all runners would remain. They were back at it again in the bottom of the third as the leadoff batter made it to third on a Flames error before being called out at home on a fielder's choice. The bases were then loaded again with a walk and a single, as a fielder's choice and groundout got UIC out of the inning unscathed.
 
It took until the sixth inning for the Flames to get their first hit of the game as Mack-Miller led off with a single and then stole her third base of the season but was held at second. Meanwhile, the Bluejays had nine-straight batters retired from the fourth through sixth innings.
 
With one out in the seventh, Soppet sent the ball into right for a double, then Kaleigh Nagle was hit by a pitch and Crane laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Cairns then stepped up with a single into right, scoring one, as Creighton committed an error on the play to bring in another run for the 3-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bluejays put a runner on with a hit by pitch and brought the run across the plate with a one-out triple. On the next play, UIC committed an error that allowed another run to score, but that would be it as the Flames were able to get the final two outs.
 
Santa Clara 4, UIC 2
 
UIC worked back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game but could not come out ahead before Santa Clara scored late in the game. Watts put up two of the Flames' five hits, with Jasmine Willis, Alice Fitzpatrick and Soppet making up the remaining three.
 
Allie Trudeau earned her second start of the season and threw the complete game while she gave up six hits, walked three and struck out two.
 
UIC threatened early as it loaded the bases in the top of the first with a walk for Mack-Miller, single for Watts and two-out walk for Fitzpatrick but all were left.
 
In the bottom of the second, Santa Clara came out to score two runs as a double and a walk positioned runners to score off a two-out double for the 2-0 lead.
 
The Flames put up an attempt in the top of the third with two outs as Willis walked and Fitzpatrick singled into right to put runners at the corners but neither would be pushed in at the end of the frame.
 
UIC executed in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 2-2. Watts and Willis singled and, with two outs, Fitzpatrick reached on a SCU error and Watts scored on the play. Soppet then came up with a single that brought Willis across the plate.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, a leadoff single and intentional walk put two on for the Broncos before both runners moved up on an illegal pitch. A single then slipped through the right side to score the final two runs of the game.