CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (5-11) will head down to Nashville, Tenn. to wrap up the 2019 tournament slate at the Belmont Invitational. The Flames will see action against Lipscomb and Purdue Fort Wayne in addition to host Belmont.

ON THE OFFENSE
The Flames remain in the nation's top 50 in batting average, coming in at 38th with a .308 average as a club. Lexi Watts continues to lead the pack with a .469 batting average, a mark that puts her in a tie for 26th in the nation. Watts also ranks 40th in the nation in runs per game (1.06), and she is also number one on the squad with 23 hits.

Alyssa Griman has driven in the most runs, owning 16 RBIs in UIC's first 16 games. Tara McElligott follows closely with 14, while Skylee James (13) and Kayla Wedl (11) have also driven in 10 or more.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames finished 1-1 at the Saluki Invitational after rain kept UIC to just two games on the weekend. The Flames were dealt a 5-1 loss to Big Ten foe Iowa in the opener on Friday (March 8) before finishing the day with a 3-2 comeback win over Butler. Cassie Kaelber and Watts led the way on offense with a pair of hits apiece, while Karissa Frazier shined in the circle against the Bulldogs, allowing just two earned runs in her first complete-game win of the season.

SIZING UP THE COMPETITION
Lipscomb is 14-7-1 after a 2-1 showing at their own Lady Bison Classic last weekend, taking a pair of wins over Buffalo before falling 2-1 in extra innings against Valparaiso. Jordan Fortel anchors the Lady Bison offense with a .403 batting average, 29 hits and 18 RBI, while Mandy Jordan handles things in the circle with 59.2 innings pitched and a 2.11 ERA. Katie Turner (1.26 ERA, 33.1 IP) and Megan Gray (4.58 ERA, 36.2 IP) split the remaining work for Lipscomb in the circle. The Flames are 0-1 against the Lady Bison after the two teams met for the first time on Feb. 17, 2017 at the Wyndham Garden Cougar Classic, as Lipscomb took home a 1-0 victory.

Purdue Fort Wayne is also 5-11 through their first 16 after dropping three of four at the Racer Classic March 10-11. Brooke Imel is batting .344 to lead the Mastodons, while Morganne Denny has tallied the most hits with 14. Shaina Eyre owns a 4.40 ERA through 43.0 innings of work to lead Purdue Fort Wayne's pitching staff, and she is followed closely by Lauren McConnell's 4.85 ERA through 39.0 innings. The Flames are 3-0 against the Mastodons, taking the last meeting 9-2 on Feb. 11, 2017.

Host Belmont went 3-1 last weekend at the University of Memphis Softball Tournament to improve to 12-6 on the season. Alicia Veltri (.449) and Taylor Hargrove (.412) are both batting above .400 to lead the Bruin offense. Veltri does it all for Belmont, leading the team in hits with 22, while also maintaining a 2.14 ERA through 49.0 innings of work. Brooklin Lee is also a primary dealer for the Bruins in the circle, owning a 1.69 ERA across 54.0 innings. Belmont took the one meeting all-time between the Bruins and the Flames with an 8-1 win over UIC on March 9, 2013.

UP NEXT
UIC will head to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame in its first midweek matchup of the season on Wednesday, March 20.