May 28, 2010
Box Score
Box Score in PDF Format 
GARY, Ind. - The 2010 UIC baseball season came to an end late Friday afternoon as the No. 3 Flames fell to the No. 4 Valparaiso Crusaders, 10-5, in an elimination game at the 2010 Horizon League Championship presented by U.S. Army.
UIC (24-30) starter Michael Heesch (6-6) was roughed up in the second inning, surrendering six runs to the Crusaders (24-31). With two outs, seldom used second baseman Andrew Bain came up with an RBI single which plated Robbie Robinson and Will Hagel who had back-to-back singles earlier in the frame. Kyle Muhlsteff and Justin Frane each pitched in with RBI base hits and Kyle Gaedele chipped in with a two-run double to extend the lead.
Valparaiso added two more in the third off reliever Charlie Weinberg before the Flames cut into the lead during their half of the third.
Ty Rubio and Steve McGuiggan singled to start the frame and both players came around to score on Jason Ganek's RBI triple to deep centerfield. That hit gave Ganek his sixth and seventh RBI of the tournament, tops amongst all players thus far. The junior from Mt. Prospect, Ill. native also earned his first career save earlier in the day and pitched 2.2 innings against the Brown and Gold, allowing one hit and striking out a pair.
Ganek would score on a sac fly in the third by Matt Serna, cutting the UIC deficit to 8-3.
The Crusaders got one back in the fifth inning to make it 9-3 before the Flames added another pair in the bottom of that inning. McGuiggan, who finished the game 4-for-5, and Ganek both singled and scored on RBI singles by Matt Serna and Nathan Orf to make it 9-5, but that was as close as Mike Dee's bunch would come.
Robbie Robinson was named the U.S. Army Horizon League Player of the Game. The catcher was 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored for Valpo.
Both teams combined to commit seven errors in the contest. Traditionally a strong defensive unit, UIC was charged with seven combined errors in their two tournament losses, but none in the two triumphs.
Damon McCormick (7-1) beat UIC for the second time in six days, earning the win for Valparaiso. He pitched a complete game, scattering 11 hits and striking out four.
Valparaiso moves on to another elimination game Saturday at 11 a.m. against the loser of the nightcap between No. 1 Wright State and No. 2 Milwaukee.
Earlier in the day, UIC sent the Youngstown State Penguins home, knocking them off in an elimination game, 4-1. For a complete recap of that ballgame, click here.
UIC entered the 2010 Championship as the third seed and posted a record of 2-2 at the U.S. Steel Yard. The Flames finished the campaign 24-30.
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