March 14, 2001

Box Score

Lawrence, Kan. - The tough times continued for the UIC baseball team Wednesday afternoon as it dropped a pair of seven-inning outings to the Kansas Jayhawks, 3-2 and 3-0.

The Flames, who will look to end a seven-game losing streak when they face the University of Michigan Friday afternoon, fall to 3-15 for the year while Kansas improves to 11-9.

Wednesday's doubleheader certainly provided fewer offensive fireworks than Tuesday's 24-2 KU win, but sophomore Larry Banks (Cicero, Ill./Nazareth Academy), who turned in a strong performance on the mound, turned out to be the hard-luck hurler for UIC in game one this afternoon.

After playing to a 2-2 tie through six and a half innings, Kansas' John Nelson led off the bottom of the seventh with his fifth home run of the year to help the Jayhawks steal the 3-2 win.

The Flames, who have struggled in the early innings this season, managed to keep the Kansas bats quiet through the first four frames of the game and through six innings, Banks had surrendered just three hits and two unearned runs while striking out a pair.

UIC got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first as Mark Homco (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) led off the game with a walk, stole second and eventually scored on Chuck Peters' (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) shot up the middle.

The Flames then upped their lead to 2-0 in the third when Curtis Granderson (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South), who doubled to right center, scored on an error by KU shortstop John Nelson.

The Jayhawks, however, plated a pair of unearned runs in the fifth and sixth innings before the seventh inning bomb by Nelson sealed the victory.

In game two, the squads played to a scoreless tie through three complete. In the bottom of the fourth, though, Kansas broke the tie as it used three hits and a pair of Flames' errors to plate three runs and that's all it would need.

Kansas starting pitcher Pete Smart kept UIC quiet in the nightcap as the Flames managed just three hits and one walk for its only four base runners of the game.

Senior lefty Steve Carlson (Newark, Ill./Newark), who tossed all six innings and give up five hits with four strikeouts, was handed his fifth loss of the year. Smart improved to 5-0.