April 5, 2008
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Chicago, Ill.- Jason Ganek's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning wrapped up a wild doubleheader nightcap between the UIC baseball team and Butler, clinching a doubleheader sweep over the Bulldogs at Les Miller Field on Saturday.
The Flames (18-9, 8-1 Horizon League) won the second contest of the day by a 7-6 score in a game that took four hours and 20 minutes to complete. UIC began the twinbill with a convincing 11-6 victory over the Bulldogs (6-17, 3-6).
Brett Schaefer was 5-for-6 with three walks, four runs scored, and three RBI during the two games. He homered in the first game and fell a tater short of the cycle in the second contest.
Ganek finished his day with four RBI, while Rafael Garcia was 5-for-8 at the plate.
Game 1: UIC 11, Butler 6
The Flames scored in every inning but one to defeat Butler, 11-6, in Saturday's opening game.
Garcia was 3-for-4 in the contest, while Schaefer and Andy Leonard went deep.
Starter Mike Kool labored early on, giving up a pair of runs to the Bulldogs in the first. But the junior right-hander settled down and lasted eight innings to earn the win.
UIC trailed by a run in the second when Leonard hit a two-run shot to left that put the Flames ahead for good.
The Flames tagged at least one run in the first four innings before scoring a pair in each of the next three frames.
Game 2: UIC 7, Butler 6 (13 inn.)
Ganek hit the first pitch he saw from Butler reliever Jamie Feldheiser into right center with two on and one out in the bottom of the 13th inning, driving in Leonard from second and sending the Flames to a 7-6 victory in Saturday's finale.
The Flames had mustered just three hits and a run off of Bulldog starter Ryan Kruszka after six innings, trailing Butler 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
That's when Butler pulled Kruszka and sent Tyler Szymczak to the mound. Leonard greeted the new pitcher with a single to lead off the inning, and Garcia walked in the next plate appearance to put a pair aboard with no outs. After Ganek's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Steve McGuiggan hit a two-run single to square the game.
Schaefer led off the next inning with a triple and went on to score the go-ahead run two batters later when Tony Altavilla singled up the middle. Ganek came up with the bases loaded later in the inning and plated a pair with a base hit, extending the Flames' lead to three heading to the ninth.
But closer Adam Worthington couldn't put away the visitors. Three straight singles to begin the inning scored one run, and Joe Pauley's sacrifice fly shortly afterwards cut UIC's lead to one. Don Phillis came on to try and get the final out, but pinch hitter Kyle McLaughlin singled on the UIC left-hander's first offering to even the game.
The game went into extra innings, where the score remained 6-6 until three consecutive one-out singles in the 13th, capped by Ganek's game-winning hit, ended the marathon contest.
UIC hits the road to face Central Michigan this Tuesday afternoon.
