Softball sees success at Indiana competition

Jacki Fletcher scored the game-winning RBI Saturday. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The softball team (6-16) won its third straight game Saturday in a 6-5 comeback victory over Toledo during the second day of the Hoosier Classic.

The team then fell to Indiana, 8-0, in five innings for a 3-1 record through two days of play.

The Flames posted nine total hits against Toledo. Senior Melissa Preish had two hits and two RBI. Junior Jacki Fletcher had two hits and the game-winning RBI.

With a bottom-of-the-seventh inning surge, UIC lifted its way to a tie game at 5-5.

The Flames placed a run on the board in the bottom of the third inning when junior Courtney Heeley homered for a 1-0 lead.

The Rockets went on a scoring spree in the sixth inning to produce five runs against UIC starting pitcher Bridget Boyle. Senior Devin Miller then entered during the inning and pitched the remaining 2.1 innings.

The Flames couldn’t score in the bottom of the sixth but held off the Rockets in the top of the seventh inning to keep the score at 5-1.

Junior Jenna Marsalli led off the seventh inning for UIC and singled through the left side. Senior catcher Teresa Aguilar and Heeley posted back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out. Junior Natalie Hernandez singled to right field to score a run for Marsalli. Senior Kara Komp’s hit scored a run for Aguilar, pushing the score to 5-3. Preish collected two RBI to tie the game at five in the bottom of the seventh.

The Flames held off Toledo during the tie-breaker inning. In the bottom half, freshman Alex Wyss entered to pinch run for senior Coryn Schmit at second base, before freshman Laura Swan singled to advance Wyss to third base. Marsalli reached on a fielder’s choice that rung up Swan at second. Junior Fletcher produced the game-winning RBI to secure the 6-5 victory over Toledo.

UIC hosts Green Bay Saturday and Sunday.

Indiana jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and two more in the bottom of the second to place the score at 5-0. The team maintained the 5-0 advantage until the Hoosiers eventually secured the victory 8-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Marsalli recorded the lone two hits of the day for the Flames against the Hoosiers.