Chicago, Ill. – On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Chicago, the UIC softball team and Belmont University Bruins competed in their second of three Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) games. The Bruins (30-10, 14-3) took off with an early lead and extended it in the top of the fourth before the Flames (6-35, 2-14) found some rhythm. Looking to make a comeback, the Flames made it a one-run game in the fifth inning but ultimately fell just short to the Bruins by a final score of 11-10.
Saturday's game marked Alumni Day for the Flames, and they were celebrated with a ceremonial first pitch.
RECAP
A scoreless first inning quickly turned in favor of the Bruins in the second as they recorded five runs, taking the early 5-0 lead. Grace Fleming made a huge diving catch for the third out at the end of the second inning. In the bottom of the third inning, Cameran Rios recorded her second hit of the day with a lead-off single to right field. Top of fourth-inning action saw the visiting Bruins extend their lead by four runs, taking a 9-0 lead, but the Flames got their bats swinging in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Nina Pesare reached on an error before Dee Dee Caskey singled to right field. Jojo Santiago then hit an RBI single to right field with runners on first and second, scoring Pesare. Fleming followed with an RBI single of her own to right center, scoring Caskey and advancing Santiago to third. Rios then loaded the bases with a perfectly placed bunt. With Hailey Cowing up to bat, the Flames scored two runs before picking up two outs, one at second and one at home, ending the inning. The Flames trailed the Bruins 9-4 at the end of the fourth inning. After the Bruins picked up a run at the top of the inning, the bats continued to fly for the Flames at the bottom of the fifth as they scored five runs, making it a one-run game. With one out, Larissa Ortiz got the action going with a double to left field. Ortiz then advanced to third on a Siena Stickney single before scoring on a Pesare single. Bases were then loaded after Caskey got hit by a pitch. Santiago then came up to bat and hit a two-RBI double to center field, scoring Stickney and Pesare. Fleming followed with an RBI single that scored Caskey before Santiago scored off a Rios sac-fly. With hopes of pulling off a comeback, the Flames fell just short, as both teams recorded one run in the seventh inning, leading to a Bruins 11-10 victory over the Flames.
The box score and play-by-play can be found here.
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The series finale between the Flames and Bruins will occur tomorrow, April 13th, on Flames Field with a 12:00 PM first pitch. Live stream and live stats will be available on UICFlames.com.
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For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Softball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_softball and @uicflames).
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