Softball Takes Two at UIC

Saturday, May 3

Chicago, IL

2:00 PM

Wright State University

27-24, 11-7

UIC (Game 1)

22-29, 12-7

Wright State

UIC

5/3/2008 12:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: WSU Athletic Media Relations

Behind two home runs each from Jherica Williams and Allison Cox along with the pitching of Sharon Palma and Jamie Perkins, Wright State swept a Horizon League doubleheader at UIC Saturday, winning the first game 5-3 in 9 innings and taking the second game 7-1.

Justine Shilt gave the Raiders a 1-0 in the first inning of the opening game as she dropped a RBI single along the right field line and WSU went up 3-1 with a run in the second as Michelle Logan singled in Bridget Henry and another in the third as Williams crushed a solo home run to left center.

UIC tallied single runs in the third and fifth to tie the game and it stayed that way until Wright State scored the winning runs in the ninth. With two out and no one on base, Kristen Bradshaw singled up the middle and after Shilt had a hit, Henry lifted a fly ball that went off the glove of Flame left fielder Carly DeMarco for an error, allowing Bradshaw and Henry to score.

The Flames loaded the bases with one out in their half of the ninth, but Perkins came in relief at that point and picked up the save as she retired Alicia Abbott on a pop out to Bradshaw at shortstop and Brooke Frydendall on a force out to end the game.

Sharon Palma picked up the win as she went the first 8.1 innings, scattering 10 hits, while offensively, Shilt led the Raiders with three hits and Briauna Birl two.

Cox put Wright State up 1-0 in the second inning of game two as she lined a solo home run to left center and the advantage grew to 2-0 in the fifth as Logan singled, advanced to second on a Birl sacrifice bunt, and came in on a double off the fence in right center by Perkins.

UIC cut the deficit in half with a run in the fifth, but Cox gave WSU insurance in the sixth as, following a Henry walk, she smacked a two-run home run to right, her seventh of the season.

The Raiders then broke the game wide open with three more in the seventh. With one out, Williams started the explosion with a towering home run to left center, her 16th of the season and 19th of her WSU career, which is a new school record, eclipsing the 18 hit by Kim Sycks from 1998-2001.

After a Bradshaw hit, Shilt hit a hard ground ball that took a high hop off the glove of Abbott at first and down the right field line for a triple to make it 6-1. Henry then singled through the left side to plate Shilt and round out the scoring.

Palma (14-9) earned her second win of the day as she allowed just one run in five innings of work. Perkins, who entered the game in the sixth with two runner on base and the potential tying run for UIC (22-30, 12-8 Horizon) at the plate, picked up her second save of the day and fourth of the season as she did not give up a run while striking out two.

Offensively, Perkins, Shilt, Cox and Logan each had two hits in the nightcap.

With the two wins, the Raiders have clinched a winning season for the first time since finishing 28-22 in 2001 and will finish the year above .500 for just the 12th time in the 36-year history of the program.

Wright State, now 28-24 overall and 12-7 in the Horizon League, wraps up the regular season Sunday with a single game at UIC starting at 1:00 Eastern.