CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (28-18, 17-4 HL) secured its fourth-straight regular season title on Friday afternoon with a 5-1 take down of second-place Youngstown State (24-22, 14-8 HL). The Flames won their fifth-straight game to reel in the program's 17th regular season title, securing the No. 1 seed as well as the right to host next week's Horizon League's Championship.  

Game Highlights

• Both teams remained in a defensive stalemate until the bottom of the third, starting with Maddie Spinks's leadoff single through the right side. Claire Crane drew a walk, and Skylee James put one in the gap in right center to score Spinks and give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
• The Penguins evened the score in the fifth, using a one-out single and a sacrifice bunt to put a runner into scoring position. An infield single put runners on the corners, and a single out to center brought the run in, making it 1-1.
• UIC answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the fifth, as Lexi Watts and Tiana Mack-Miller set things up with a pair of singles. Mack-Miller took second, and Watts utilized her speed to score the go ahead run on an infield single off the bat of Alyssa Griman.  
• The Flames tacked on a trio of insurance runs to seal the deal in the bottom of the sixth, putting up all three runs on a two-out rally. Spinks got things rolling with a single through the left side, and Crane followed it up by sending one off the wall for a triple, scoring Spinks. Watts singled, easily scoring Crane, and stole her 32nd base of the season to get herself into scoring position. James put another one up the middle, bring Watts across the plate and grow the lead to 5-1.
• Youngstown State did manage to muster up a two-out single, but Karissa Frazier took care of the next batter with her third and final strikeout of the game.   

Facts & Figures

• The 2018 season marks the fourth-straight Horizon League Regular Season title for UIC as well as the longest streak of regular season championships since the 1996-2000 Flames.
• UIC outhit the Penguins 11-7, and spread the offense around eight different players. Watts, James and Spinks tallied multi-hit performances, while Kayla Wedl, Jasmine Willis, Mack-Miller, Griman and Crane collected one each.
• Mack-Miller is now on a 10-game hitting streak, a new career-best, while Watts extended her personal-best streak on Friday afternoon, recording a hit in the last nine games.
• Marley Hanlon got the start and saw 4.2 innings of work, allowing one earned run and four hits, while striking out three. Frazier pitched the remaining 2.1 innings and grabbed her 11th win of the season.

Up Next

• The Flames will conclude the series as well as the regular season tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CT. Seniors Taylor Cairns and Tiana Mack-Miller will be honored prior to first pitch.