May 9, 2009

Box Score

UIC hit three home runs, two by Melissa Marinacci, and held off a Raider rally in the seventh as the Flames ended Wright State's season with a 9-5 decision in the consolation bracket finals of the Horizon League Softball Tournament Saturday afternoon at Legends Field in Pendleton, Indiana.

WSU opened the scoring with an unearned run in the second as Briauna Birl reached second on a throwing error with two outs and scored on Lindsay Barrett's hit to right. Marinacci, though, gave UIC the lead with a three-run home run to right center in the bottom of the third.

The Raiders answered with a long ball of their own to tie the game in the fifth as after Louie Haney reached on an infield hit, Allison Cox smacked a two-run shot to straight away center, her seventh of the season.

Marinacci, however, struck again with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth and the Flames extended the lead to 9-3 with four more in the sixth, including a solo home run from Horizon League Player of the Year Sarah Clynes.

Wright State cut the deficit to 9-5 in the seventh on a Justine Shilt two-run double and had runners on second and third with one out, but Whitney Orellana closed out the game as the Flame reliever struck out both batters she faced for the save.

The Raiders finished with a final record of 34-21, which only trails the 36-20 mark by the 2000 squad for most wins in a season.