April 24, 2009
Box Score
FAIRBORN, Ohio- Chris Rutta homered and drove in five runs, but three Flames leads of five runs or more would not hold up in the UIC baseball team's 13-12 defeat at the hands of Wright State in a slugfest of a nightcap at Nischwitz Satdium on Friday.
On a warm day in southwestern Ohio that featured winds blowing out at speeds hovering around 30 miles per hour, the Flames (16-19, 10-4 Horizon League) and the Raiders (20-21, 8-6 Horizon League) combined to score 25 runs and pound out 39 hits.
UIC opened the game with a four-run first, capped by Rutta's two-run homer, and scored three times in the second, which was highlighted by a two-run single ripped by Rutta into the gap in left center, to go up 7-1.
But the Raiders roared back, scoring once in the bottom of the second and three times in the third to chase starter Chris Kovacevich and get within two.
The Flames tacked on a run on Rutta's sacrifice fly in the fourth and two more in the fifth to expand their lead to 10-5, but Wright State closed the gap to three runs with a two-run bottom of the fifth.
Just as they had done in winning Friday's doubleheader opener, the Raiders rallied from their deficit to take the lead with a huge sixth inning. This time Wright State scored six sixth-inning runs, the big blow coming on Kory Twede's go-ahead three-run homer.
UIC had one last rally left. Ty Rubio singled to lead off the top of the ninth, and Brandon Harwell doubled to put a pair in scoring position with no outs. Following a balk call on Michael Schum that allowed Rubio to trot home with a run, Jake Carr hit a one-out double that plated Harwell and brought the Flames within one.
But Schum induced pop-ups off of the bats of Andy Leonard and Jason Ganek that were caught by second baseman Aaron Fields to end the game.
UIC has a quick turnaround before hitting the diamond again, returning home from Fairborn tonight to host Valparaiso tomorrow, Apr. 25 in a doubleheader at Les Miller Field beginning at 1:05 p.m.
