March 30, 2013

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CHICAGO - Shortstop Brooke Andresen led an offense that banged out a season-high 16 hits as Loyola University Chicago (11-11, 1-2 Horizon) survived a seventh-inning scare to earn a 9-8 decision over UIC (8-18, 2-1 Horizon) in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Flames Field this afternoon. The win snaps Loyola's five-game losing skid.

After struggling with delivering a timely hit in the first two games of the weekend series with its crosstown rival, Loyola's offense returned to form with a three-run second inning. Catcher Katy LaCivita's one-out single to left plated Tarran Shaffer, who had started the rally with a leadoff double down the leftfield line, to open the scoring. Following a single by Annie Korth and a sacrifice bunt by Keali Engelkens, Andresen delivered a two-run single to the gap in left center to put the Ramblers on top, 3-0.

UIC answered right back in the bottom of the inning and got within a run thanks to Laura Swan's two-run home that was tomahawked over the leftfield fence.

Loyola grabbed momentum right back and pushed its lead to two runs on Shaffer's sacrifice fly in the third, but Swan victimized the Ramblers again in the bottom of the inning by delivering a bases-clearing double to give the Flames a 5-4 edge.

Following scoreless innings for both teams in the fourth and fifth, Andresen, who stands as Loyola's all-time hits leader with 192, came up with one of her biggest hits with no outs in the sixth when she mashed a long three-run homer to straightaway center to give the Ramblers a 7-6 lead. Loyola tacked on two critical insurance runs in the seventh on Olivia Bell's RBI triple and another run-scoring single by LaCivita for a seemingly comfortable 9-5 lead.

Those seventh-inning tallies would prove to be the difference because UIC made things interesting in the bottom half of the inning. A bases-loaded walk to Swan was followed a two-run single to Jacki Fletcher, which brought the Flames within a run at 9-8, with only one out.

But Engelkens, who had come on in relief to begin the inning, settled down and fanned Erica Hampton before retiring Courtney Heeley on a comebacker to end the game.

Andresen and Korth had three hits each to lead a Loyola offense that recorded at least one hit in every inning but the first. The Rambler offense, which got a career-best five RBI from Andresen, was so balanced that six different players tallied at least two hits.

Brittany Gardner struck out six to earn her fifth win of the season and move into sole possession of third place on Loyola's all-time chart with 37 victories.

Loyola is back in action on April 2 when it travels to Big Ten rival Northwestern for a single game at 4 p.m.