CHICAGO – Oakland came to life offensively late in the game while holding UIC largely in check to win the first game of a scheduled doubleheader at Flames Field Friday, 5-0. The Flames roared back in the soggy second game and they held a three-run lead in the bottom of the third inning when play was halted due to rain.
The Golden Grizzlies and Flames will reconvene on Saturday at 12 p.m. to resume the suspended game. The series finale will follow at approximately 2 p.m.
Game 1 Recap
Starting pitchers
Alyssa McIntosh (UIC) and Sydney Campbell (Oakland) started off the day with a pair of scoreless innings in the circle. McIntosh had allowed just one baserunner prior to the start of the third.
Allisa DiPrima reached with a one-out single and she scored three batters later on a bloop single off the bat of
Lauren Griffith.
The Golden Grizzlies opened up the lead with three more runs in the sixth as they sent nine hitters to the plate.
Shannon Carr drove in one run for Oakland before two more came home as a result of a pair of defensive miscues by the Flames.
Griffith added an insurance run with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning to account for the final margin of victory, five runs.
Campbell limited UIC to only four hits while striking out seven and walking only one.
Tara McElligott had two hits to pace the Flames in that department.
Game 2 (In progress)
Oakland scored first once again with a run on a solo home run during it's first at-bat, but the Flames countered with three in the bottom of the half.
UIC had two runners in scoring position with nobody out when
Samantha Ferguson lined a two-run single to left field that scored
Maica Ingles and McElligott with ease. Later in the frame, pitcher
Carlee Jo Clark helped her own cause with an RBI groundout that scored
Dee Dee Caskey from third base. After an eventful inning of play, UIC was in front 3-1.
The Golden Grizzlies regained the lead in the top of the third inning. Griffith, who hit the first-inning home run, went deep again with a three-run shot the hugged the foul line and barely cleared the wall to put Oakland in front, 4-3.
As the steady rain continued to fall, the Flames flustered Oakland in the bottom of the third and scored the first run of the stanza without the benefit of a hit. Ingles walked, McElligott was hit by a pitch, Ferguson walked and then Caskey was plunked to bring in a run and tie the game. The bases remained loaded for Clark and she sliced a double to the gap in left-center field off of Campbell that brought in three runs and helped UIC get back in front, 7-4.
Two batters later,
Larisa Villa walked on four pitches. Campbell then threw ball one to
Isabelle Garcia and the umpires determined it was time for a stoppage. After waiting for approximately 45 minutes, the decision was made to suspend play and resume on Saturday.
The game will resume at 12 p.m. and it will pick up where it left off.
Grace Fleming, a pinch runner for Clark, is on second and Villa is on first. Garcia will be at bat against Campbell with a 1-0 count.
Notes
- Maica Ingles has reached safely in nine consecutive conference games. She had a single in the opening game and has drawn two walks so far in game two.
- Alyssa McIntosh posted her second complete game of the season in game one. She allowed only three earned runs over 7.0 innings pitched with three strikeouts.
- Carlee Jo Clark has a career-high four RBI in only the third inning of game two.
- UIC has drawn four walks thus far in game two. It is only the fourth time this season that the Flames have drawn that many bases on balls.
