Box Score CHICAGO – UIC matched its longest winning streak of the season Sunday by rattling off its third consecutive victory, this one in come-from-behind fashion. The Flames trailed Chicago State, 1-0 and 3-2, but the team rallied for a run in the sixth and the go-ahead tally in the eighth to win, 4-3.
 
The game featured 21 combined hits, but only seven runs. UIC's (7-6) David Cronin, Ricardo Ramirez and Mickey McDonald each posted two hits with McDonald scoring a pair of runs. McDonald tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth on an RBI single from Thomas Norton before Cronin's two-out knock in the eighth brought him home for the game-winning run.
 
Alex Padilla threw 2.2 scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts to collect his second win. Reid Birlingmair made his fourth start and fanned six Cougars (3-9) over six innings on the bump. He allowed eight hits and walked one, but Chicago State only scratched out three runs during his outing.
 
How It Happened
Both teams came up empty in the first and second innings with the Flames also stranding a runner on third base to end the top of the third. The Cougars struck for the first run of the day when Julian Russell doubled and scored two batters later on an RBI single up the middle. Birlingmair struck out the next batters to end the inning and limit the damage.
 
The Flames snagged the lead for the first time Sunday with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. After the first two hitters were retired, Cody Bohanek drew a walk and eventually stole second base. Ricardo Ramirez walked behind Bohanek and both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. The two seniors scored when Scott Ota reached on a throwing error by Chicago State's second baseman, giving UIC a 2-1 lead.
 
The Cougars regained the edge quickly with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth against Birlingmair. Zach Thomas walked and scored the equalizer and two batters after he came home, Matt Sullivan's RBI single to left field brought home Jacob Vanitvelt. That gave CSU a 3-2 lead and the inning soon ended when Birlingmair picked off Matt Paciello at second base for the third out.
 
The deficit didn't last long as the visitors evened the ledger with a single tally in the top of the sixth. Mickey McDonald drew a one-out walk and he stole second base with Rob Calabrese at the dish. Calabrese hit a deep fly ball to center that allowed McDonald to tag and get to third base before a pinch hitter stepped up to the dish. Thomas Norton faced Josh Willis and roped a single to right field that scored McDonald easily and made it 3-3.
 
UIC took the lead for good in the top of the eighth, again with a dose of small-ball. McDonald singled to lead off the inning and Calabrese got him to second with a well-executed sacrifice bunt. Joe Baier uncorked a wild pitch with Norton at the plate that allowed McDonald to scamper to third.  After Norton grounded out, David Cronin produced a two-out single to center field that put the Flames on top, 4-3.
 
Padilla relieved Birlingmair after in the bottom of the seventh and he spun 2.2 scoreless innings on the bump with four strikeouts, including three with the Cougars leaving the bat on the shoulder. After Padilla punched out the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth, he turned it over to Mitchell Schulewitz, who was able to work around an infield single to get Vanitvelt to ground out to Cronin at second, ending the game.
 
Beyond the Box Score

• UIC matched its longest winning streak of the season with its third consecutive triumph. The Flames downed Northwestern on Tuesday afternoon in Evanston before shutting out the Cougars at Granderson Stadium on Thursday.
• Cronin, Ramirez and McDonald all collected two hits for UIC, while McDonald also scored two runs, including the game-winner in the top of the eighth inning. It was Cronin's team-best sixth multi-hit game, Ramirez's fifth and McDonald's second.
• Ramirez has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games and he has hit safely in the last six games for the Flames.
• UIC's defense did not commit an error for the second consecutive game. The Flames have only one miscue in their last four outings dating back to March 5 at Mizzou.
• Redshirt sophomore Padilla picked up his second victory in a UIC uniform Sunday. He is tied with a fellow newcomer, freshman Jacob Key, for the team lead with two victories.
• Schulewitz earned his fourth career save and first since April 27, 2014 at Valparaiso. He has made four consecutive scoreless appearances out of the bullpen in 2017.
• Birlingmair made his fourth start of the season against the Cougars. He leads the Flames with 27 strikeouts and his K/9 ratio is 10.5. The sophomore has issued only seven walks in 23.2 innings pitched.
• UIC picked up its first win in its third one-run game of the season. The Flames fell to Prairie View A&M in the season opener on Feb. 17, 5-4, and to Missouri on the road last Sunday, 11-10. It was also UIC's first win in which the team scored fewer than five runs.

 Up Next

• Tuesday's scheduled game against Roosevelt at Granderson Stadium has been canceled due to weather concerns..
• Horizon League play begins on St. Patrick's Day, Friday, March 17, with a visit from Youngstown State. The three game series opens Friday at 4:05 p.m. CT.