CHICAGO – The UIC softball team (12-14, 3-0 HL) gets back to Horizon League action this weekend, welcoming Detroit Mercy (13-17, 5-1 HL) to Flames Field. Due to predicted inclement weather, the schedule has been adjusted from its original version, with the two teams playing a doubleheader on Friday, March 29 starting at noon CT and ending the series on Saturday, March 30 with a single game at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC headed out to Indianapolis, Ind. for a rematch with Butler on Wednesday (March 27), taking a 4-2 win in extra innings. The Flames erased a two-run deficit in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs and tacked on another two runs in the top of the eighth off a Tara McElligott single and Skylee James sacrifice fly to come away victorious.

PROWESS AT THE PLATE
UIC leads the Horizon League with a .305 team batting average. The Flames are also number one in the conference in runs (138), RBI (125) and home runs (17). Lexi Watts (.464) and James (.447) own the top two batting averages in the conference, and are two of just three players in the League batting over the .400 mark. Kayla Wedl also makes the top ten, batting .361 for sixth place.
Watts and James are also the top two in hits, tallying 39 hits and 34 hits, respectively. Wedl once again joins the ranks in sixth, owning 30 hits. Watts is also the League's leader in runs, crossing the plate 31 times, while Wedl and McElligott share the top spot in RBI, driving in 24 runs apiece. James owns 21 RBI to follow in the category in third, and Alyssa Griman is tied for fourth with 20.

CONTROL IN THE CIRCLE
Allie Trudeau came away with her fifth complete-game win of the season on Wednesday, pitching all eight innings in the victory over Butler. The junior improved to 7-6 on the season, putting her in a three-way tie for most wins in the conference. Trudeau has fanned 47 batters across her 91.1 innings so far, putting her at sixth in the League. She also ranks sixth in opponent batting average, keeping batters to a .263 mark at the plate. Marley Hanlon owns an ERA of 5.54 through 36.2 innings of work, while Karissa Frazier has an ERA of 5.66 through 29.2 innings.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Detroit Mercy took two of three against Oakland earlier this week to improve to 5-1 in Horizon League play. The Titans took game one 8-0, fell in extra innings in game two, 7-6 (8) and redeemed themselves with an extra-innings win in game three, 4-3 (9). Jordan Manno leads the Titan offense with a .355 average, putting her at eighth in the League. Manno also comes in at third in the conference in hits with 33, just behind Watts and James. Pitcher Ashley Mauser owns the second-lowest ERA in the League at 2.41 to lead Detroit Mercy, and fellow Titan Liz Murphy trails in fourth with a 2.81 ERA. UIC owns a 66-7 advantage all-time against the Titans after taking two of three last year on their turf.

UP NEXT
The Flames will once again square off with city-rival Loyola, this time on their turf. The two teams are set to rematch on Tuesday, April 2 at 4 p.m. CT.