BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The UIC softball team (12-12) kicked off the Hoosier Classic on a high note Saturday as it scored a total of 20 runs after defeating Bowling Green (14-13), 9-1 (6), and Indiana (12-14), 11-9 (8), at Andy Mohr Field.
 
The Flames had one of their most productive days at the plate this season as they ignited for 25 hits. Taylor Cairns paced the offense after going 4-for-5 with a triple and a grand slam registered a team-high five RBI alongside Jennah Speth, who had a team-best five hits.
 
UIC will look to carry over momentum into Sunday's pair of games as it will face the Falcons at 10 a.m. CT and the Hoosiers at 12:15 p.m.
 
UIC 9, Bowling Green 1 (6)
 
UIC used a solo home run from Alice Fitzpatrick and an eight-run sixth inning, featuring a grand slam for Cairns, to climb away from Bowling Green. The Flames produced nine hits with a career-high three from Speth to lead the team, followed by Cairns with two. The pair were additionally responsible for bringing in seven runs, with Fitzpatrick also garnering a RBI.
 
Karissa Frazier earned the start and went 3.1 innings with four strikeouts, two walks and six hits allowed. Elaine Heflin entered the game with one out in the fourth and finished the game with four strikeouts and one walk while she did not allow a single hit and picked up her sixth win of the year.
 
Bowling Green came out ahead 1-0 after the first inning as it took four consecutive singles to start the game. The Falcons would leave the bases loaded in the first and then again in the second.
 
UIC had its best chance to score in the bottom of the third as Emily Wetzel hit her second double of the season to move up Speth, who had reached on a fielder's choice, but Speth was called out at the plate to end the frame.
 
In the fifth, the Flames came up with the game-tying run thanks to Fitzpatrick as she led off with her first home run as a Flame.
 
After holding BGSU off base for the first time in the top of the sixth, UIC was able to execute on offense in the bottom half. Tiana Mack-Miller led off and reached on an error as Savannah Soppet followed with a single and Jasmine Willis loaded the bases on her second walk of the game. Speth stepped to the plate and singled into right center, allowing two runs to score. Willis was then able to come across the plate as Speth stole second and BGSU committed an error.
 
The Flames quickly loaded the bases after that with walks for Wetzel and Fitzpatrick before Cairns came up to bat and sent the ball over the wall in right field for her first-career grand slam and second-career home run to give UIC a commanding 8-1 lead.
 
The bases were filled again as Lexi Watts walked, Mack-Miller was hit by a pitch and Willis earned her third free base, allowing Speth to single and bring in her third run to take the game in walk-off fashion.
 
UIC 11, Indiana 9 (8)
 
UIC jumped out to a 9-2 lead on Indiana but the Hoosiers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, leading to extra innings where the Flames put together two runs. UIC registered a season-high 16 hits against Indiana with nine players earning at least one hit. Mack-Miller led all players with a team-high four RBI, followed by Speth with two, as Kayla Wedl scored four of the season-high 11 runs.
 
Lindsay Melson received her second-career start and threw the first frame and into the second before Heflin came on in relief and threw four innings with six strikeouts, three walks and four hits. Allie Trudeau faced five batters in the bottom of the sixth, when she struck out one and allowed three hits, before Frazier came in to finish the frame and pitch the seventh as she earned her fourth win of the year. Melson reentered to throw the final inning as she picked up her first save of the year and struck out two.
 
UIC came out ahead in its first turn at the plate as Wedl singled, advanced on an error and scored from second as Mack-Miller singled up the middle for the 1-0 lead.
 
With two outs in the second, Wetzel singled and then rounded the bases and scored on Cairns' first triple of the season as she also scored on the play off an IU error.
 
In the bottom of the second, the Hoosiers quickly loaded the bases with a double and back-to-back walks, but Heflin entered and struck out the next three.
 
The Flames threatened again in the fourth as Claire Crane and Fitzpatrick each singled and Cairns drew a walk but all would remain on base.
 
Indiana narrowed UIC's lead in the bottom of the inning when a walk and a single led to runners at the corners before they turned a double steal on a strikeout and took home. The next batter reached on a Flames error that allowed the second run to score.
 
The Flames got off to a good start in the fifth as Wedl doubled and Mack-Miller walked to put two on with no outs before Speth singled up the middle to score one. Speth then stole second and Mack-Miller was able to come across the plate as IU committed an error.
 
Wetzel led off with her second double in as many games in the sixth and then scored as Cairns singled and IU forced another error. Watts followed with an infield single, moving Cairns to second, before Wedl reached on a fielder's choice that loaded the bases and Mack-Miller doubled to score three runs and go up 9-2.
 
The Hoosiers would rally in the sixth and seventh innings to score seven runs and tie the game at 9-9. A three-run homer by Taylor Uden and a RBI single brought IU within three after the sixth, as it then secured four-consecutive hits in the seventh that tied the game.
 
With the tiebreaker rule in place in the top of the eighth, Mack-Miller laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Wedl over the third. Speth singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run before Soppet and Crane both singled with Crane picking up the RBI.
 
The Hoosiers made their final attempt after a UIC error and fielder's choice put two on with one out, but a pair of strikeouts would end the game.