NASHVILLE – It took an extra inning to get the job done Friday evening, but UIC outlasted No. 7 Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field, 5-3 (10). For the Flames, it was the first victory over a top-25 team since they defeated 24^th-ranked Texas A&M on February 15, 2013.
 
Senior Brandon Gibis delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit in the top of the 10^th when he drove in Ricardo Ramirez with a double down the line in left. Catcher Rob Calabrese later delivered a big insurance run when he hit a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Scott Ota to score from third base, giving UIC a 5-3 lead.
 
Connor Ryan picked up the win out of the bullpen. He struck out the side in the bottom of the 10^th to seal the victory.

How It Happened
The Commodores struck first Friday afternoon thanks to a solo home run. Jeren Kendall, a Baseball America Preseason All-America candidate and a member of the 2017 Golden Spikes Award watch list took the second pitch thrown by Jake Dahlberg over the center-field wall to make it 1-0. UIC's senior southpaw walked the next batter, but settled nicely to retire the next three VU hitters in order to finish the frame.
 
UIC's Jake Dahlberg steadied on the mound and his offense got that run right back in the top of the third. Sophomore Scott Ota took an 0-1 pitch from Vandy's Kyle Wright, also a preseason Baseball America All-America honoree, and blasted it the opposite way to left field for his first long ball of the season, one that evened the score at a run apiece.
 
Both Dahlberg and Wright continued to dominate on the mound. Dahlberg exited after 5.0 IP, over which he allowed only two hits after the early homer. He was relieved by reliever Alex Padilla. The newcomer surrendered a lead-off single, but got help from his defense when the next batter wrapped a ground ball to Cody Bohanek at shortstop. Bohanek flipped it to David Cronin at second base and Cronin fired on to first base to complete the 6-4-3 double play. Padilla then got a routine grounder to third to end the inning.
 
The Flames and Commodores came up empty in the seventh inning before UIC went to work against the Vanderbilt bullpen and Collin Snider in the top of the eighth. Ota was plunked by an 0-2 pitch to begin the inning and he advance to second on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Gibis. Freshman Matt Bottcher was the next batter and he laced a base hit up the middle that plated Ota and gave the Flames their first lead. They weren't done there, however. Bohanek singled to right field, and with the help of a VU error, Bottcher came all the way around to score and push UIC's lead to 3-1.
 
Vanderbilt was able to even the score with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the inning. The Commodores had runners on first and second when JJ Bleday hit a double down the line in right to bring both runners home.
 
Neither team scratched out a run in the ninth inning, extending the game. Gibis delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit in the top of the 10^th when he drove in Ricardo Ramirez with a double down the line in left. Ramirez had drawn a walk off Snider to start the inning and he reached third when Ota's sacrifice bunt led to a VU throwing error. Later, Calabrese later delivered a big insurance run when he hit a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Ota to score from third base, giving UIC a 5-3 lead.
 
Ryan didn't even need the defense behind him in the bottom of the 10^th as he struck out all three Commodores he faced to nail down the 5-3 victory.
 
 Beyond the Box Score

• UIC's last win over a ranked opponent came at Texas A&M on Feb. 15, 2013. It was also the fifth win all-time against Vanderbilt.
• Cody Bohanek posted a game-high three hits for UIC from the leadoff spot.
• Dahlberg has not factored in the decision in each of his first two starts, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been a standout on the mound. He's allowed only two earned runs and struck out 13 in 12.0 IP. Prairie View A&M and No. 7 Vanderbilt have combined to bat .167 against the southpaw.
• Bottcher and Gibis are tied for the team lead with four RBI through five games. Both players have driven in at least one run in three of UIC's last four games.
• Gibis and Ramirez have reached base safely in each of the last four games, the longest active streaks on the squad.
• Ota matched a career high with three runs scored. Both occurrences have come against SEC opponents as he did it as a freshman against Mizzou on March 6, 2016.
• Ota hit his fifth career home run in the third inning, while becoming the fourth different Flame to go deep this season. UIC has registered at least one home run in each of its three wins this season.
• UIC pitchers have struck out 52 batters on the year while issuing only 17 walks. The staff has allowed only 16 earned runs in 44.1 IP and has an ERA of 3.25.

Quotable



Up Next

• The series will continue on Saturday afternoon at noon CT.
• Fifth-year senior Jack Andersen is slated to make his second start of the season for the Flames. He's scheduled to be opposed by Vanderbilt's Patrick Raby.