March 26, 2011
Box Score
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CHICAGO - On a bitterly cold day for baseball, the UIC Flames manufactured enough offense to slip past the Cleveland State Vikings at Les Miller Field, 3-2.
The Flames (9-10, 3-0 Horizon League) completed the three-game sweep and an undefeated six-game homestand with the win on Saturday.
Pitching dominated the day with starters Joey Begel for UIC and Nate Dick for Cleveland State (5-14, 0-3 Horizon League) delivering solid performances despite the chilly temperature. Neither hurler factored in the decision; Begel went 6.2 IP and allowed only one run, while Dick lasted 6.0 IP, allowing two runs on six hits and five walks.
The Flames struck first on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Dick issued a free pass to UIC's Matt Serna. The second baseman scored all the way from first base when the next batter, Joe Betcher roped the first of two doubles on the afternoon into the left center field gap.
The contest remained scoreless until the top of the seventh frame. Begel surrendered a one-out double to Alex Gnezda and later plunked a batter and walked the next to load the bases for leadoff man Anthony Sambula. UIC head coach Mike Dee tapped Eric Wyman to relieve Begel, but the senior allowed the tying run to score when he walked Sambula. The hard-throwing lefty was able to work out of it when h struck out John Calhoun looking to end the threat.
The tie score did not last long, however, as the Flames went right back to work in the bottom of seventh. Nick Addison reached for the second consecutive time on a bunt single and advanced to second on an errant throw by Calhoun, the Vikings third baseman. After Steve McGuiggan walked, shortstop Ryan Shober found a hole on the right side of the infield and singled, allowing Addison to score from second and give UIC a 2-1 lead. Alex De LaRosa sacrificed McGuiggan to third and Cleveland State elected to intentionally walk Jason Ganek to load the bases with one away. Unfortunately the next two hitters, Jon Ryan and Serna each lined sharply to the shortstop to end the threat.
Wyman struck out the first hitter of the eighth inning before issuing a second walk and forcing Dee to lift him in favor of right-hander Chris Hoffman (3-1). The junior walked the first two men he face and hit the third with the bases juiced to allow the Vikings to tie the game at 2. Still with only one away, Hoffman induced an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play to kill the rally right then.
It was Betcher once again who got things stirring in the bottom half of the eighth. The DePere, Wis. native singled to center field and took second when Alex Johnson failed to pick up the ball cleanly. The first baseman moved to third base on Andy Leonard's bunt single up the third base line. Addison was the next hitter and he lined a ball sharply to right field; Leonard had wandered too far off the bag and he was doubled off, however, Betcher made a great read on the play and tagged and scored what proved to be the winning tally.
Closer Jason Ganek sent Cleveland State down in order in the top of the ninth to notch his second save of the season.
Betcher finished the day 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. The sophomore batted .500 (5-for-10) in the three-game set with two doubles, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base.
Shober and Addison also had multi-hit games for the Flames.
UIC will travel to Notre Dame on Monday for a make-up game against the Fighting Irish. The Flames were originally set to play in South Bend, Ind. last Wednesday, however inclement weather and poor field conditions forced the postponement. First pitch Monday is set for 4:35 p.m. CT.
