ATLANTA – UIC exploded for 12 runs Sunday afternoon, including six in the final frame, to snap a brief two-game skid and knock off the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Russ Chandler Stadium, 12-5.
 
The top two Flames in the batting order, Thomas Norton and David Becker, drove in three in apiece Sunday. Becker and teammate Bowen Ogata each had three knocks in UIC's 13-hit attack against the Yellow Jackets.
 
On the bump, starter Jacob Key fanned six and allowed four runs over 5.0 innings of work. Reliever Charlie Cerny was brilliant out of the bullpen for 3.0 frames. The tall right-hander faced nine batters and surrendered just one hit, while striking out two.
 
How It Happened
Georgia Tech struck for a pair of runs in the second inning to grab an early lead, but UIC answered right back with two of its own in the top of the third. Dylan Gilbert and Dominic Smith singled to start the frame and Gilbert scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Lin-Peristrup. After Norton walked, Becker rifled a ball up the middle to drive home Smith and even the ledger at two runs apiece.
 
The Flames would gain the lead once and for all in the next frame. Gilbert and Ogata scored on an errant throw by GT's third baseman before Norton knocked in Lin-Peistrup to push the edge to three runs at 5-2.
 
The home team clawed back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a sacrifice fly from Chase Murray and a home run from catcher Joey Bart. Key buckled down after Bart's blast and got the next two Jackets to go down swinging on strikes, ensuring that the Flames held on to a slim 5-4 advantage.
 
Aaron Ackerman and Gilbert began the top of the eighth with back-to-back hits before Smith moved them up 90 feet each with a sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Riley Hebert was walked intentionally to load the bases ahead of Norton who drew a base on balls of his own to drive in a run and make it 6-4 Flames.
 
Bart began the home half with a base hit against Cerny, the only hit he surrendered, before the junior got a double-play ball from Tristian English and a pop out to Norton on the hot corner to end the inning.
 
UIC exploded for the biggest inning of the series in the top of the ninth. The Flames tallied six runs on only three hits and got an assist from Georgia Tech's second error of the game. Pinch runner Thomas Smart scored on the throwing error, Smith and Scott Ota hit sacrifice flies and Norton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home Ackerman. When the smoke cleared UIC was in front, 12-4.
 
Baron Radcliff homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for Georgia Tech, but it was far too little too late and Alex Padilla later got Bart to fly out to end the game and seal the win on the road against an ACC foe.
 
Beyond The Box Score

• UIC has taken a game from Georgia Tech in each of the last two seasons. Sunday's win also snapped a seven-game winning streak for the home team.
• Charlie Cerny has made a team-high seven appearances out of the bullpen for UIC. He has struck out 19 and has not issued a walk in 12.1 innings of work for the Flames. Sunday's outing of 3.0 innings marked a season high.
• Thomas Norton extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. Sunday's three-hit effort was the second of the season for the junior from Chicago.
• David Becker had career highs in both hits (three) and RBI (three) for UIC on Sunday.
• Scott Ota was held hitless in five at-bats. It was only the second time this season he was held without a knock, however he did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly Sunday. He is batting .489 with a team-high 22 hits this season. The junior also leads UIC with 14 RBI.

Up Next

• UIC's scheduled midweek matchup with Northwestern on Tuesday afternoon has been cancelled. The Flames will open a four-game series against Chicago State on Friday at Granderson Stadium.