CHICAGO-  The UIC softball team opened a three-game series against Bradley on Friday, as the Flames dropped the series-opener in extra innings 5-4.   

• Sophomore Larissa Ortiz landed a ball in the gap to score Grace Fleming from first to get the Flames on the board first.  

• Larissa Villa earned her first RBI of her junior campaign when she scored sophomore Jojo Santiago.  

• Following Villa's RBI, Tess Altevers Harris hit a shallow fly ball down the right field line, that would turn into an inside the park home run, scoring Villa on the play.   

• Time in the circle was split evenly between Senior Christina Toniolo and junior Miranda Gomez. They each threw four innings, striking out one and walking one batter a piece.  

NEWS AND NOTES 

• Senior Alannah Cran had a team-leading three hits, going 3-for-4 in the match-up. She now has five hits in the last two games and leads the team with a .277 batting average.  

• Altevers-Harris' inside the park homerun was her first homerun in her career at UIC. 

• All four of Santiago's at-bats involved attempted sacrifice bunts. She finished the game 1-for-1, with one of those bunts resulting in a single. 

• Going 1-for-4 in the game, Ortiz has now landed 10 hits in the month of April.  

• Tallying a single early in the game, Fleming has 15 hits in the past 16 games for the Flames.  

SCHEDULE CHANGE 

• Saturday's game has been pushed back from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. due to impending inclement weather.  

• Stay up to date on any more potential schedule changes at @UIC_Softball's Twitter.  

THE WEEKEND AHEAD 

• Saturday is Alumni Day. Former members of UIC Softball are going to be honored prior to the first pitch with a reception and celebrated throughout the game. 

• Sunday will be Senior Day, where UIC Softball will honor the contributions of Maica Ingles, Jordyn Cebedo and Mary Jones to the program during a pregame ceremony.  

• Both games will be available to listen to on the Flames Network.