Nix-Clark Snaps Cougars Out of Slump

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., (Feb. 24, 2007) -- BYU (9-6) met Illinois Chicago (8-10) in its last day of the Palm Springs Classic with both teams badly needing to change their fortunes. In the end, it was the Cougars who were able to reach into their bag of tricks and pull out the 8-1 victory, snapping their four-game losing streak and extending the Flames' slump to five games.

Senior Cortney Nix-Clark led BYU in its only win at the Classic. Nix-Clark went 3-for-4, scored three runs and hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season.

The Cougars went into the top of the third inning trailing 1-0. Tracee Hoch hit a two-out double that scored Jennifer Whiteley to tie the game. After Jodi Norton walked, Mountain West Conference Softball Player of the Week Emi Snow smacked a two-RBI single to left center. UIC pitcher Sarah Clynes provided the last two runs of the inning by walking the next three batters.

Norton doubled in the fourth inning to score Nix-Clark, and Whiteley sent a triple to right field in the fifth that scored Angeline Quiocho. Nix-Clark capped the day with a lead-off homer to left field in the sixth inning.

Dani Urincho gave up only three hits in seven innings and struck out four in her first win of the season.

BYU has the week off but returns to action Thurs., March 8, against Fresno State at the Bulldog Classic in Fresno, Calif. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST and will be available through live stats.

BYU vs UIC
           Feb 24, 2007 at Cathedral City, Ca. (BigLgDrms-Des Moines)
BYU 8
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
NIX-CLARK c..............  4  3  3  1   0  1  4  1   0
HOCH 2b..................  4  1  1  1   0  2  5  1   0
NORTON ss................  3  1  1  1   1  2  1  3   0
SNOW rf/cf...............  3  1  1  2   0  0  0  0   1
 RAMIREZ ph..............  1  0  1  0   0  0  0  0   0
URINCHO 1b/p.............  3  0  0  0   1  1  0  2   1
QUIOCHO dh/3b............  2  1  1  1   2  0  0  0   0
 PLATT rf................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
JENKINS 3b/dh............  2  0  0  1   1  1  0  3   0
 ANDERSON pr.............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
WHITELEY lf..............  4  1  1  1   0  0  0  0   3
GONZALES cf..............  3  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   1
 ZINANTI ph/1b...........  1  0  0  0   0  1  3  0   1
GWYN p/1b................  1  0  0  0   0  0  7  0   0
Totals................... 31  8  9  8   5  8 21 10   7
UIC 1
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
ACKERMAN cf..............  2  1  0  0   1  0  1  0   0
DIXON lf.................  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
ROBINSON ss..............  3  0  1  1   0  1  4  3   1
JACOBY c.................  3  0  1  0   0  0  8  0   0
FRYDENDALL 2b............  2  0  0  0   0  1  2  1   1
 ROGERS 2b...............  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
STUDZINSKI 1b............  3  0  1  0   0  0  6  0   0
BRENNAN 3b...............  3  0  0  0   0  0  0  3   1
MORAN rf.................  3  0  0  0   0  2  0  0   1
CLYNES p/dh..............  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
FUEMMELER dh/p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 24  1  3  1   1  4 21  9   4
Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
BYU................. 005 111 0 -  8  9  1
UIC................. 100 000 0 -  1  3  1
-----------------------------------------
E - GWYN; ROBINSON. LOB - Cougars 7; Flames 4. 2B - NIX-CLARK; HOCH; NORTON;
RAMIREZ. 3B - WHITELEY. HR - NIX-CLARK. SH - DIXON. SB - QUIOCHO 2.
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
URINCHO.............  7.0  3  1  1  1  4 24 26
UIC                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
CLYNES..............  4.0  5  6  1  4  3 18 22
FUEMMELER...........  3.0  4  2  2  1  5 13 14
Win - URINCHO.  Loss - CLYNES.  Save - None.
Umpires - HP: Dani Carson  1B: Rob Powell  3B: Ron Burkhart
Start: 10:30 am   Time: 1:49   Attendance: 127
Game: BYU-UIC
Play-by-Play
Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
BYU................. 005 111 0 -  8  9  1
UIC................. 100 000 0 -  1  3  1
-----------------------------------------
BYU starters: 10/c NIX-CLARK; 4/2b HOCH; 8/ss NORTON; 18/rf SNOW; 22/1b
URINCHO; 33/dh QUIOCHO; 16/3b JENKINS; 3/lf WHITELEY; 24/cf GONZALES; 11/p
GWYN;
UIC starters: 9/cf ACKERMAN; 5/lf DIXON; 21/ss ROBINSON; 22/c JACOBY; 15/2b
FRYDENDALL; 13/1b STUDZINSKI; 24/3b BRENNAN; 2/rf MORAN; 6/p CLYNES; 1/dh
FUEMMELER;
BYU 1st - NIX-CLARK struck out looking. HOCH grounded out to 3b. NORTON
struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UIC 1st - URINCHO to p. GWYN to 1b. ACKERMAN walked. DIXON out at first
c to 2b, SAC, bunt; ACKERMAN advanced to second. ROBINSON singled up the
middle, advanced to second on the throw, RBI; ACKERMAN scored. JACOBY grounded
out to 3b. FRYDENDALL struck out swinging. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
BYU 2nd - SNOW grounded out to ss. URINCHO lined out to ss. QUIOCHO
grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UIC 2nd - STUDZINSKI lined out to ss. BRENNAN grounded out to 3b. MORAN
struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 3rd - JENKINS reached on a fielding error by ss. ANDERSON pinch ran
for JENKINS. WHITELEY reached on a fielder's choice, bunt; ANDERSON out at
second p to 2b. GONZALES popped up to ss. NIX-CLARK singled to left field;
WHITELEY advanced to second. HOCH doubled to right field, RBI; NIX-CLARK
advanced to third; WHITELEY scored, unearned. NORTON walked. SNOW singled to
left center, 2 RBI, advanced to second on the throw; NORTON advanced to third;
HOCH scored, unearned; NIX-CLARK scored, unearned. URINCHO walked. QUIOCHO
walked, RBI; URINCHO advanced to second; SNOW advanced to third; NORTON scored,
unearned. JENKINS to dh for ANDERSON. JENKINS walked, RBI; QUIOCHO advanced to
second; URINCHO advanced to third; SNOW scored, unearned. WHITELEY reached on a
fielder's choice; JENKINS out at second ss to 2b. 5 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3
LOB.
UIC 3rd - JENKINS to 3b. CLYNES flied out to cf. ACKERMAN grounded out
to 3b. DIXON reached on a fielding error by 1b. ROBINSON struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
BYU 4th - GONZALES grounded out to 2b. NIX-CLARK doubled to left center.
HOCH struck out swinging. NORTON doubled down the rf line, RBI; NIX-CLARK
scored. SNOW grounded out to ss. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UIC 4th - JACOBY singled up the middle. FRYDENDALL lined out to 2b.
STUDZINSKI popped up to 2b. BRENNAN popped up to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 5th - CLYNES to dh. FUEMMELER to p. URINCHO struck out swinging.
QUIOCHO singled to first base. QUIOCHO stole second. JENKINS struck out
swinging. QUIOCHO stole third. WHITELEY tripled to right field, RBI; QUIOCHO
scored. GONZALES flied out to cf. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UIC 5th - MORAN struck out swinging. CLYNES lined out to 2b. ACKERMAN
grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 6th - ROGERS to 2b for FRYDENDALL. NIX-CLARK homered to left field,
RBI. HOCH struck out swinging. NORTON struck out swinging. RAMIREZ pinch hit
for SNOW. RAMIREZ doubled down the lf line. URINCHO grounded out to 3b. 1
run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UIC 6th - SNOW to rf for RAMIREZ. DIXON grounded out to ss. ROBINSON
grounded out to 2b. JACOBY popped up to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
BYU 7th - GWYN to p for JENKINS. /  for GWYN. QUIOCHO walked. GWYN
reached on a fielder's choice; QUIOCHO out at second p to ss. WHITELEY popped
up to ss. ZINANTI pinch hit for GONZALES. ZINANTI struck out swinging. 0
runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UIC 7th - SNOW to cf. URINCHO to p. PLATT to rf for QUIOCHO. QUIOCHO to
3b for GWYN. ZINANTI to 1b. ROGERS grounded out to p. STUDZINSKI singled to
right field. BRENNAN grounded out to p; STUDZINSKI advanced to second. MORAN
grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.