CHICAGO – For the second consecutive day UIC played its way to a split of a doubleheader at Granderson Stadium on Saturday. After falling short in the first game against Milwaukee, 3-1, the Flames exploded for 10 runs en route to a 10-2 victory in the finale.
 
Also for the second consecutive game, UIC (32-12, 18-5 Horizon League) received a pair of quality starts on the mound. Jack Andersen surrendered only two earned runs over 6.0 innings in game one, while matching a career high with eight strikeouts. In game two, freshman Jacob Key surrendered two runs on four hits over 6.0 innings as he secured his sixth win of the season. In the bullpen, relievers Charlie Cerny, Connor Ryan and Alex Padilla each appeared in both games, while providing two scoreless innings each during the doubleheader.
 
The Flames were held scoreless by UWM starting pitcher Jay Peters through 8.2 innings in the first ballgame before a late rally. Rob Calabrese doubled for the second time in the game with two outs and an assist to the bright sunshine. Milwaukee's Ian Ross appeared to lose the ball in the blue Chicago sky. After Scott Ota walked, Ricardo Ramirez drove home Calabrese with a single to left field, but Peters struck out the next hitter on three pitches to capture the 3-1 triumph.
 
The Panthers led 2-0 after three and a half innings in the nightcap before UIC pushed across six runs to take the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. The big blow in the inning came after Calabrese doubled and Ricardo Ramirez hit an inside-the-park home run, his ninth of the season that made it 4-2 on one swing.
 
Key retired seven in a row before turning it over to Cerny and the bullpen. The backend boys did their jobs effectively and helped UIC salvage the split with a 10-2 victory in game two.
 
How It Happened (Game One)
UIC' Jack Andersen was in control on the mound as he struck out the side in the top of the third, and another to lead off the fourth before Ben Chally singled to right field. After another punch out, the Panthers put the hit-and-run on with a two-strike count to Mike Jordahl. The UWM designated hitter flipped a double down the line in right that allowed Chally to come all the way around to score the game's first run. Andersen rebounded to strikeout Ian Ross, which ended the inning.
 
The Panthers added two runs to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Trevor Schwecke reached on a rare UIC fielding error before Daulton Varsho launched a double to the gap in right-center field. Both UWM batters scored when John Boidanis singled into center field with one out to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. Andersen got a fly ball to the warning track and another strikeout of Ross to end the frame.
 
The Flames got their first runner of the day into scoring position in the bottom of the sixth in the form of Mickey McDonald. The UIC center fielder pushed a bunt to the right side for a base hit and he took second on a groundout to Chally at third. He could not score, however.
 
Double plays helped the Panthers in both the seventh and eighth innings before UIC made its late charge in the bottom of the ninth. Calabrese doubled and scored a run with two outs on a Ramirez single, but the Flames fell two runs short.
 
How It Happened (Game Two)
As it did in the first game, Milwaukee struck first on the scoreboard in the second contest. Chally doubled and scored a run on a base hit by Tyler Detert and Ross walked with two outs and scored on a single from Mike Ferri. Both runs in the top of the fourth came with two outs in the inning.
 
The Flames responded in a big way in the bottom of the fourth frame. David Cronin singled to center field for UIC's first hit of the game before Cody Bohanek was hit by a pitch. Calabrese hit his third double of the day (both games) to score Cronin before Scott Ota launched a sacrifice fly that scored Bohanek and tied the game.
 
The tide continued to turn for the home team during the next at-bat with Ramirez at the dish. The first baseman cranked a ball to the opposite field in right. Detert tried to make a play on the ball, but he was unable to catch it cleanly as he crashed into the fence. Both Calabrese and Ramirez scored on the inside-the-park home run, the latter's team-high ninth round-tripper of the season.
 
UIC was not done there, however. Brandon Gibis singled with two away and took second when Detert overran the base hit in right field. The next man up, McDonald, smashed a double down the line in right to plate Gibis. McDonald later scored himself, from second base, on an error by UWM's Boidanis, the second miscue of the inning. When the line stopped moving, 11 Flames has been to the plate to score six runs on five hits and grab a four-run lead.
 
The home team continued to put pressure on Milwaukee's defense in the top of the fifth. Ota drew a one-out walk and scampered from first to third on a base hit from Matt Bottcher. UIC's right fielder would score when Boidanis couldn't catch what should have been an inning-ending grounder to shortstop.
 
With the pitching staff hanging zeroes on the board, the hitters tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against relievers John Moynihan and Reed Blake. McDonald walked and stole second before Thomas Norton also drew a base on balls. The Flames put both runners in motion and the throw to try to cut down McDonald at third base sailed into left field, allowing him to score. Cronin then drove in Norton from second base on a solid single up the middle and he scored a run of his own on another sacrifice fly from Ota. That gave UIC a 10-2 lead which would hold up through the final half-inning.

Beyond the Box Score

• UIC won four times in five games against Milwaukee during the regular season. The Flames averaged 7.0 runs per game in the five meetings with a team batting average of .311. The pitching staff allowed only 10 earned runs in 45.0 IP against UWM for a 2.00 ERA.
• Rob Calabrese batted .429 (9-for-21) with four extra-base hits against the Panthers in the regular season. Ricardo Ramirez batted .421 and hit two home runs with a team-high nine RBI.
• Four different pitchers secured UIC's four wins against UWM: Reid Birlingmair, Jake Dahlberg, Jacob Key (Saturday) and Mitchell Schulewitz.
• With two hits in both games of the twinbill, Calabrese extended his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games. That matches David Cronin for the longest on the team this spring. Calabrese is batting .468 (22-for-47) with 10 doubles, 14 RBI and 13 runs scored during the current streak. He is slugging .681 and getting on base at a clip of .534.
• Calabrese has reached base safely in 39 games in a row. That is the longest such streak since recent UIC Hall of Fame inductee Justin Johnson reached safely in 39 games in a row to end the 2006 season.
• Ricardo Ramirez's nine home runs are a career high and the most for a UIC hitter since Jeff Boehm belted 14 in 2015. Ramirez owns 15 career home runs, all in the last two seasons.
• Scott Ota leads UIC, and the Horizon League, with nine sacrifice flies.
• Jack Andersen tied his career high with eight strikeouts in game one. He also punched out eight hitters on Feb. 14, 2015 against Mississippi Valley State.
• Charlie Cerny also struck two batter in game one to give UIC 10 for the game. It was the ninth time this season, and first since April 21 at Youngstown State, that the staff reached double digits.
• Alex Padilla lowered his ERA to 0.58 with a scoreless inning in each game Saturday. The Chicagoan has not allowed a run since April 2 and he hasn't allowed an earned run since March 5 at Missouri, a span of 16 appearances.
• Eight of nine batters in the starting lineup for game two scored at least one run. Cronin and McDonald led the way with two tallies apiece. Cronin was also one of two Flames with two hits in the win (Calabrese).
• UIC's 10-run outburst in game two marked the ninth time this season that the offense scored double-digit runs. The Flames are 8-1 in those contests, winning the last eight.
• The Flames have won at least 32 games for the 12^th time in program history and the 10^th time under head coach Mike Dee. 2017 marks the first season since 2008 that UIC has hit that mark.

Postgame Reaction





Up Next

• UIC will host a twinbill against the Wright State Raiders on Saturday, May 13 beginning at 12:05 p.m. CT. The two teams are tied for the Horizon League lead with identical 18-5 records.
• The contests will stream on ESPN3 and also be available on the WatchESPN app.
• The Flames will honor the program's seven seniors following the games. The class includes Jack Andersen, Cody Bohanek, Jake Dahlberg, Brandon Gibis, Ricardo Ramirez, Connor Ryan and Mitchell Schulewitz.
• Saturday will also be Alumni Day at Granderson Stadium.
• The Flames and Raiders will meet a total of five times over the final eight days of the regular season. The teams will play a three-game series in Dayton, Ohio beginning on Thursday, May 18.