March 13, 2009

Box Score

CHICAGO- After 10 games away from home to begin the 2009 season, the UIC baseball team finally returned to the usually-friendly confines of Les Miller Field on Friday.

But the Flames received a cold welcome to their home debut, and it had nothing to do with the weather.

Northwestern pounded out 13 hits and received a complete-game gem from starter Eric Jokisch in UIC's 9-2 loss to the Wildcats on a brisk but sunny Friday the 13th in Chicago.

Andy Leonard went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Flames (1-10), while Brandon Harwell clubbed his first home run of the season.

Jokisch, a sophomore southpaw who garnered Big Ten Freshman of Year honors last season, stymied UIC's hitters for most of the afternoon. He went the distance, allowing just one earned run and two runs total in addition to a mere four hits.

Trevor Stevens drove in five runs for Northwestern (3-9), including a bases-loaded double during a back-breaking four-run sixth.

UIC starter Adam Worthington endured his roughest outing of the season, allowing eight runs and 11 hits in seven frames.

The Flames rallied from an early 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth to get within a run after Harwell hit a solo shot and Ty Rubio scored from third after a failed rundown of Leonard at first.

But the first three Northwestern batters reached base in the next half-inning, and after Leonard made an amazing diving catch on Zach Morton's liner in the hole on the left side, Chad Noble singled to drive in a run and keep the bags juiced.

Worthington struck out Hamilton Wise to get within an out of escaping further damage, but Stevens came to the plate and launched a deep drive to left that went over a sprinting Rubio and cleared the bases to put the Wildcats up 7-2.

UIC concludes a three-game series with Northwestern at Les Miller Field this Saturday, March 14 with a doubleheader beginning at 12:05 p.m.