Illinois-Chicago 2 No. 4 seed

vs.

Central Michigan 0 No. 6 seed

Score by Innings		1	2	3		4	5	6		7		R	H	E
Central Michigan (32-12)		0	0	0		0	0	0		0		0	0	0
Illinois-Chicago (52-24)		0	1	0		1	0	0		x		2	4	1

UIC's Samantha Iuli throws second career perfect game
(Flames' error was on a foul ball)

Boxscore and Play-By-Play

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Alumni Field)
Event: NCAA Regional 8 Softball Championship (Game 5)
Result: #23 Illinois-Chicago 2, Central Michigan 0
Records: UIC (52-24); CMU (32-12)
Next UIC Game: Saturday, May 20 -- vs. Michigan, 12:30 p.m.
Next CMU Game: Saturday, May 20 -- vs. Notre Dame/DePaul loser, 10 a.m.

Iuli Perfect in 2-0 Illinois-Chicago Win Over Chippewas

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Samantha Iuli's second career perfect game came at a perfect time for fourth-seeded University of Illinois-Chicago as the Flames advanced to the third round of the NCAA Regional 8 Softball Championship with a 2-0 victory over No. 6 seed Central Michigan University Friday afternoon (May 19) at Michigan's Alumni Field.

Iuli struck out 12 CMU batters and allowed no walks in her complete-game shutout performance, improving to 25-9 for the season. She helped her own pitching cause in the fourth inning with an RBI single to centerfield that scored Gina Arnold, who reached with a right centerfield double. Illinois-Chicago (52-24) scored its first run in the second inning when Arnold, who led off with a double down the rightfield line, scored on a wild pitch by Central Michigan's Tina Kinney.

UIC's only defensive miscue -- a dropped foul ball in the fourth inning -- did not deter Iuli as she got the batter, Kim Burke, to ground out to third base, on the way to retiring all 21 hitters she faced.

Kinney (23-7) finished with four strikeouts and allowed four hits and a walk. Illinois-Chicago stranded three runners in three different innings.

Central Michigan (32-12) advances to play the loser of Friday's Notre Dame-DePaul game at 10 a.m. Saturday (May 20), while Illinois-Chicago will face Michigan in the 12:30 p.m. elimination game on Saturday.

Q U O T E S

UIC Head Coach Mike McGovern
On today's game ... "If you look at [Central Michigan's] media guide and the history of their program, they have probably been one of the strongest teams in the Midwest year in and year out. Anytime you play them you have to play your cards close to the vest, and obviously with a perfect game, you are playing your cards really close to the vest. This is a nice victory for the team. We are still working on that insurance policy since it is a double-elimination tournament, especially after losing the opening game."

UIC Catcher Gina Arnold
On pitcher Samantha Iuli's perfect game ... "After the first inning, she was pretty on. She was throwing hard. She was getting them there. We had to keep them (the Chippewas) off balance. It started with the drop and rise working well, and then started going in."

UIC Pitcher Samantha Iuli
On the day's cool weather ... "The weather was not a bother. It was warm inside warming up, and I went outside about 20 minutes before the game to get loose. Since I go to school in Chicago, I'm getting acclimated to this weather. I think all of our trips throughout the preseason, we just couldn't count on the weather wherever we went."

On CMU's lineup ... "I think their hitters were starting to get frustrated going with the off-speed pitch. I think they probably were going back and waiting for it on their second time at bat; after that I think we went more with the inside and the fastball. I think going through their order the second time was easier."

CMU Head Coach Margo Jonker
On today's game ... "We seemed like we were trying but we couldn't get the job accomplished today. Our defense wasn't that sharp -- it was a game where we seemed to be reactive rather than proactive. We seemed to be trying a little too hard, and just didn't get the job done. Obviously their pitcher (Samantha Iuli) kept us off-balance, and you have to give them credit for that."

On regrouping for Saturday ... "I think that the team will be fine tomorrow (Saturday). They are frustrated that we didn't do well today. I see them as fighters, and I see them as wanting it a great deal. They know that the only way to reach their next goal is to come back tomorrow, so I feel they will give it 100 percent."

N O T E S

• Samantha Iuli posted her second career perfect game and sixth career no-hitter with the win vs. Central Michigan. The no-hitter is the second no-no recorded in the 2000 NCAA Championship, following by one day the no-hitter thrown by Arizona's Becky Lemke in the Wildcats' 8-0 win vs. Middle Tennessee on Thursday (May 18) at Region 2 in Tucson, Ariz.

Last updated: Friday, 19-May-2000 20:58:15 EDT