CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (10-12) will close out its tournament slate this weekend at the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Ind. The schedule presents the Flames with a pair of games on both Saturday and Sunday against Bowling Green (14-12) and host Indiana (11-13) at Andy Mohr Field.
 
UIC will look to bounce back after having a 1-7 turnout across its last eight games, including its most recent set at the OU Tournament (March 11-12). While going up against Omaha and No. 9/10 Oklahoma, the Flames took a 4-3 win over the Mavericks to open the tournament but fell short in their remaining games.
 
Jennah Speth and Lexi Watts led the team with .444 batting averages off four hits apiece, while Kayla Wedl and Tiana Mack-Miller captured a team-best three RBI. Among the team's 24 hits, three came as home runs for Wedl, Mack-Miller and Ria Smith. The pitching rotation allowed 32 hits and 20 walks while it acquired 14 strikeouts.
 
The Flames own a collective .258 batting average this season and are outhitting opponents, 140-121. Watts (.397) and Wedl (.308) lead the team in averages and hits with respective totals of 27 and 20. Wedl additionally boasts a team-high seven extra-base hits with three doubles, three triples and one home run, and also owns 11 RBI followed by eight apiece for Watts, Savannah Soppet and Jasmine Willis.
 
Karissa Frazier (1.91 ERA) and Elaine Heflin (2.30 ERA) have split a majority of the starts in the circle for UIC, with Allie Trudeau (3.44 ERA) also earning three. The pitchers have come together to hold foes to a .227 batting average while they have struck out 87, led by Heflin's 54.
 
Bowling Green went 4-1 at last weekend's Ole Miss Tournament as it turned out wins against Jackson State (2), Eastern Kentucky and Oklahoma State. The Flames have met with the Falcons just twice before with the series split at 1-1 having last gone head-to-head in 2004.
 
Aimilia McDonough (.442), Bella Norton (.300), Rebecca Blitz (.299) and CaraMia Tsirigos (.292) head the BGSU offense that is hitting .257 as they have combined for 70 hits, five of which are home runs. Of the 93 runs scores on the year, 29 have been brought in by Tsirigos with 13 and Taylor Udean (.243) with a team-best 16.
 
Emily Goodin (3.16 ERA) and Tara Trainer (3.50 ERA) have been the go-to pitchers for the Falcons as they are responsible for the team's five shutouts and have combined for 138 strikeouts off a team-high 89 from Trainer, as the pitching staff owns a .266 opposing batting average.
 
Indiana was a perfect 5-0 while competing at the Memphis Tournament with wins over Western Illinois, Lipscomb, Oakland, Memphis and Buffalo, after going 0-5 the week prior. UIC owns a record of 7-14 in the all-time series with the Hoosiers as it was narrowly edged in a 3-2 decision at last year's Hoosier Classic.
 
Chelsea Raker (.390), Aspen Searle (.372), Alex Sogi (.325) and Kendyl Wheeler (.321) have had the best production for Indiana after combining for 112 of the team's 193 hits. Raker and Searle stand above the rest with their 28 extra-base hits, featuring 21 doubles and seven home runs, and they own respective RBI totals of 26 and 20.
 
Meredith Miller (2.57 ERA), Kiley Sosby (3.13 ERA) and Brooke Parker (3.64 ERA) have worked the circle the most this season with Miller owning a team-best seven wins. Along with Briana Combs (6.56 ERA), they have combined for 126 strikeouts, a team-high 50 from Miller, and have held opponents to a .242 batting average.