Hoosiers unable to douse Flames of UIC, look to MSU

If the IU softball team thought they were going to pitch their way to a victory in Wednesday's first game against the University of Illinois-Chicago, they were in for a rude awakening.\nUIC's lead-off batter, senior outfielder Cameron Astiazaran, watched only two pitches before nailing a solo home run over the center field wall off of IU junior pitcher Megan Roark. For the offensively inconsistent Hoosiers, the last way they wanted to start the game was with a home run against them.\nHowever, Roark quickly settled in and retired three of the next four batters without allowing any additional runs in the first inning.\nAfter that, the IU offense rallied behind their pitcher, turning out one of their best performances of the year.\nThe Hoosiers used singles by sophomore center fielder Kim Richards and junior first baseman Tory Yamaguchi, along with two UIC errors, to put up three runs in the bottom of the first.\nIU bats stayed hot into the third inning, when junior designated hitter Lauren Hines led off with a solo home run, her third of the season.\n"We played really good defense in the first game," Roark said. "And when we are hitting the ball like that, we are hard to beat."\nSenior Ashley Griffiths put the finishing touches on for the Hoosiers in the fourth by hitting an RBI double to give IU a 5-1 advantage.\nAlthough UIC had a shot at extending the game in the seventh inning, a deep fly ball that could have tied the game came within inches of the fence before being snagged by Richards in center field, a grab that sealed the 5-2 Hoosier win.\nDespite the victory, IU would have difficulty carrying the momentum into the second game of the afternoon.\nBecause Roark had pitched a complete game in the earlier win, senior Katie Witham started the second game.\nAfter escaping the first inning without allowing any runs, Witham was replaced midway through the second by Roark after giving up an RBI double that put UIC up 1-0.\nThen the Flames really got hot.\nAfter scoring eight runs in the second and third innings combined, UIC hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in fourth, including a pinch-hit grand slam.\n"After a team starts scoring runs like that, it is really hard to come back," Richards said. "It's just difficult to swing the momentum back the other way."\nWhen all was said and done, the Flames would toast IU 14-3, handing the Hoosiers their 22nd loss of the season.\n"It is really difficult to play defense that well and hit that well and not have the pitching to back it up," IU coach Stacey Phillips said.\nThe Hoosiers will look to combine all areas of their game Friday when they begin Big Ten play in Bloomington against the Michigan State Spartans.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kevin Dwire at kdwire@indiana.edu.