Feb. 2, 2001

Box Score

Long Beach, Calif. - Feeling dirt under its cleats for the first time in more than three months, the UIC softball team showed well in opening-day action of the Long Beach State Invitational as they went 1-1 on Friday at the 49er softball complex.

The Flames opened the day with a 2-1 triumph over 22nd-ranked Long Beach State, then dropped a 2-1 decision in eight innings to San Diego State.

"When you take everything into consideration - two freshmen pitchers, not having played with cleats on or seen the actual flight of the ball of that bat in so long - I'm really pleased with the way we played today," commented UIC Head Coach Mike McGovern. "I'm greedy, though, and would have liked to have won both.

In the opening game, it was a pair of UIC freshmen that paved the way for victory. On the mound, rookie Alycia Creese got over some early control problems and went the distance, allowing just on earned run while scattering four hits and fanning six en route to the first win of her career. At the plate, Jacquelyne Vaca (1-for-1, RBI) took the first collegiate pitch she saw and knocked it deep over the center field wall to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning.

The Flames would plate the go ahead run in the bottom of the sixth as with two outs 49er starter Traci Hensel lost control walking Amanda Rivera and hitting Creese and Vaca to load the bases. Lindsey Knoff entered for Long Beach looking to kill UIC's rally, but she walked sophomore Emily Hallmann on four pitches to bring home the eventual winning run.

In game two, freshman pitcher Alyson Aguilar didn't allow an earned run and gave up just two hits, but came up on the short end of a 2-1 decision as the Flames left 10 runners on base versus San Diego State.

The Aztecs got on the board first as a Jennifer Tiifany error to lead off the second inning, followed by two walks and a hit batter put SDSU up 1-0. The Flames would score in similar fashion in the bottom of the frame as Aztec starter Sandra Durazo (1-0) walked Emily Stoddard with the bases loaded to knot the game at 1-1.

UIC would have its chances with runners in scoring position in the fifth and the sixth inning, but Durazo pitched out of both jams and then retired the side in order in the seventh to send the contest to extra innings.

In the eighth, with a runner starting at second base under international tie-breaking rules, SDSU sacrificed its runner - Shannon Flynn - to third, then pushed her home on an RBI single by clean-up hitter Tiffany Goudy.

The Flames looked poised to answer the Aztecs in the bottom of the seventh as Stefanie Christoferson led off with a bunt single to put runners on first and third with nobody out. UIC couldn't push a run across, though, as Rivera grounded out sharply to third, then following an intentional walk to Creese, Durazo retired both Vaca and Hallmann to earn the win.

UIC won't have to wait long to get another shot at San Diego State as the two open second-day action of the Long Beach State Invitational tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. PST. The Flames then battle UC-Riverside at 11:00 a.m. PST.