April 12, 2008
Box Score
Niles, Ohio- The UIC baseball team scored six times in the seventh inning to rally from a two-run deficit and defeat Youngstown State, 9-5, in the series finale at Eastwood Field on Saturday.
The win gave the Flames (20-12, 9-3 Horizon League) a split of the day's doubleheader with the Penguins (12-20, 5-4).
With UIC trailing 4-2 in the seventh, a leadoff walk to Rafael Garcia and a one-out single off of Steve McGuiggan's bat preceded what seemed to be an inning-ending double-play ground ball hit by Ty Rubio. But shortstop C.J. Morris' throw to second went into right field, allowing Rubio to motor all the way to third as two runs scored to even the game
The Flames took advantage of their new life in the seventh to take the lead. Jake Carr singled to right to drive in Rubio with the go-ahead run. Ryan Meehan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in another run, and Andy Leonard's sharp liner off of pitcher Ryan Wackerman's glove died in the infield for an RBI hit.
Garcia wrapped up what he began, driving in the Flames' sixth run of the inning on a squeeze bunt.
A bases-loaded walk to Kevin Coddington in the eighth gave the Flames a five-run cushion.
Youngstown State had led for most of the contest. After the Flames took an early one-run advantage on Carr's first-inning sacrifice fly, Anthony Porter hit a ball to the center field wall with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the same frame to clear the bags and put the Penguins up 3-1.
The Penguins tacked on an unearned run in the fourth. Porter reached on a fielding error charged to Leonard, and after moving to second on a sacrifice bunt, he barely beat Carr's throw to the plate on Joe Iacobucci's single to short left.
UIC scored its second run of the day without a hit in the sixth. Brett Schaefer reached on an error at third base and slid into second moments later on a wild pitch. Schaefer moved to third on a groundout and scooted home on Leonard's sacrifice fly to get the Flames within two before their outburst in the next inning.
Starting pitcher Grant Kohlstaedt bounced back from the three-run first inning to allow just one unearned run during the rest of his 6.2 innings of work.
McGuiggan finished his day 4-for-6 at the dish, scoring three of UIC's runs.
Leonard and Carr drove in two runs apiece.
UIC heads to Normal, Ill. this Tuesday to take on Illinois State at 6 p.m. Central.
