CHICAGO -- UIC opens the final week of the 2022 regular season and a three-game homestand at Flames Field on Wednesday, May 4, when the Louisville Cardinals come calling for a non-conference matchup at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be the fifth meeting between the two programs, but the first in the Windy City. UIC and Louisville last met at a neutral site, Oklahoma State's Cowgirl Stadium, on Feb. 28, 2020. Samantha Ferguson gave the Flames a lead as the first batter of the game and her team did not look back en route to a 10-2 victory in five innings. Ferguson, a freshman at the time, finished with three runs scored, as did current assistant coach Kayla Wedl. The lone senior on this year's UIC squad, Tara McElligott, also drove in a run when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Also a freshman in 2020, Christina Toniolo threw a complete game as she allowed a lone earned run over 5.0 innings that day.

UIC is coming off a busy week with five games in a five-day span between April 26-30. The Flames fell in mid-week games against in-state foes No. 8 Northwestern and Northern Illinois last week before dropping two-of-three in its final Horizon League road series of the regular season on Friday and Saturday at Cleveland State. Emma Crowley batted .385 with four doubles and four RBI in five games last week for the Flames, while Hailey Cowing  slugged .875 with two triples and three RBI for the Flames.

Sophomore Alyssa McIntosh has been tough to touch in the circle over her last three outings against NIU and Cleveland State. The sophomore has not allowed an earned run with 12 strikeouts over 12.2 innings covering three outings in that span. She threw four scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts against the Huskies on April 27 and then a complete game with five strikeouts to match a career high at Cleveland State on April 29. McIntosh owns a 4.47 ERA this season and a 2.2 strikeout-to-walk ration to lead the staff.

Louisville is 26-21 overall and 10-11 in ACC play. The squad is batting .290 as a team and averaging 5.6 runs per game. Camryn Greenwood is batting .415 and slugging .868 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI this spring; she is 10th in the NCAA with 66 hits and 11th with 16 doubles. In the circle, Taylor Roby has started 25 of 47 games. She started and allowed three runs on six hits in 3.0 innings the last time the Flames and Cardinals met in 2020.

Admission to Flames Field is free for fans in 2022 and Wednesday's game will also be available on ESPN+. More notes, statistics and information can be found in the UIC Game Notes PDF found in the blue box above.