Softball extends winning streak

Elaine Heflin had a career-high 18 strikeouts Friday. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The softball team (11-8) won its fifth game in a row Saturday during the San Diego Classic.

UIC won its games Friday versus Utah Valley, 9-8, and San Diego, 5-2, then beat Portland State, 5-4, and San Diego State, 6-4, Saturday. The team’s game on Sunday versus Saint Joseph’s was canceled because of rain.

The team competes next at the Hoosier Classic March 18 and 19 in Bloomington, Indiana.

The Flames combined for 18 hits Friday while they limited their opponents to 14. Senior LaRi Mitchell and freshmen Lexi Watts and Skylee James each had three hits, while senior Dana Capocci and junior Kaleigh Nagle came up big for UIC with their two hits each that produced four and three RBI.

The Flames’ pitching staff of redshirt-junior Alice Fitzpatrick, redshirt-freshman Karissa Frazier and junior Elaine Heflin continued to dominate, shutting down the Wolverines and holding them to a .230 batting average. The trio combined for 18 strikeouts, 10 of which were credited to Heflin to set a new career high.

“It was nice to come away with two wins against good opponents,” head coach Michelle Venturella said. “We did a nice job on the mound in both games and we had the timely hitting we needed. We have been in a lot of tight games, which has given our team the chance to work on our composure and learn how to finish games.”

Mitchell posted a team-best five hits Saturday to help UIC with its 19 total hits, as senior Laura Swan, sophomore Taylor Cairns and Watts followed with three hits each. Swan was the run-producer for the Flames as she came away with three RBI, followed by James and Capocci with two each.

Frazier, Heflin and senior Bridget Boyle combined for a 1.00 ERA on the day, holding their opponents to 14 hits, four walks and a .226 batting average while tallying six strikeouts.

“We did not play well in our first game, but we found a way to come and win so I’m proud of our team for that,” Venturella said. “We did a much better job against SDSU. Hef (Elaine Heflin) was solid on the mound and our offense did a great job of putting pressure on their defense. Regardless of the outcome, we need to continue to play the game at a high level and I was happy to see that.”