2004 NCAA Softball Regional -- Game 12 Recap
5/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
2004 NCAA Softball Regional
Illinois-Chicago 6, #11 Tennessee 5
Game 12 -- Saturday-Sunday, May 22-23 -- 11:59 p.m.
Alumni Field, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Records: Illnois-Chicago (42-22), Tennessee (55-16)
Next UIC Game: Sunday, May 23 -- vs. Oregon State, Noon
Next Tennessee Game: Tennessee eliminated with 2-2 record
Flames Continue NCAA Run with Upset of Tennessee
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7 seed Illinois-Chicago Flames posted a 6-5 victory to eliminate No. 2 seed Tennessee from the NCAA Region 6 Softball Tournament early Sunday morning (May 23) at Alumni Field. In a game that started at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, was interrupted briefly by rain, and ended after 2 a.m. Sunday morning, UIC scored four runs in the bottom half of the sixth to eke out a hard-fought win after the Lady Vols posted four runs in the top of the inning to take a short-lived lead.
Facing a 2-1 deficit to start the sixth, the Lady Vols tied the score after Stacy Jennings was walked with the bases loaded to plate pinch-runner Ashley Cline. Lauren Mattox followed with a two-run single up the middle to give Tennessee its first lead of the game, 4-2. Sarah Fekete finished the inning's scoring with a groundout to shortstop that allowed Jennings to cross home plate and give UT a 5-2 advantage.
UIC, however, retook the lead with four runs in its own half of the inning. Alycia Creese got the rally started with a single through the infield. Four hitters later, Joyce Cathey knocked a bases-loaded single to drive in the Flames' first run of the inning, plating Creese's pinch-runner, Jennifer Ruesno. With only one out and a 5-3 Tennessee lead, UT starting pitcher Stacy Jennings returned to the mound to replace reliever Monica Abbott. However, Jennings was greeted by a two-run single off the bat of Cameron Astiazaran that tied the game at five runs apiece. A wild pitch two batters later handed the Flames a 6-5 advantage as Cathey scored the game-winning run.
Illinois-Chicago pitcher Alison Aguilar retired the Lady Vols in order in the top of the seventh save the win for Chelsea Barclay and extend the Flames' season.
UIC (42-22) will take on No. 3 seed Oregon State (42-27) at noon Sunday (May 23) in the losers bracket final at Alumni Field. The winner will advance to the regional final against top-seeded Michigan tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. and will need to beat the host Wolverines twice in order to win the Region 6 title.
