HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky.  – UIC's offense continued to produce runs at a prolific pace Friday afternoon as the Flames scored 14 times en route to a series-opening victory at Northern Kentucky, 14-5.
 
UIC (18-13, 6-7 Horizon League) scored five times in the top of the first and four more in the top of the second to gain a comfortable lead in the early going. David Becker had a career-high four hits and four RBI for the Flames, while Dominic Smith was equally as productive with three hits and four RBI of his own.
 
In his first start since April 7, senior Ryan Campbell showed little rust in his return to the bump. The right-hander struck out a career-high nine hitters in 7.0 innings of work as he collected his fifth win of the campaign.
 
How It Happened
UIC sent all nine batters in its lineup to the dish in the top of the first inning. Bowen Ogata drove in the day's first run with a sacrifice fly to right field before Dominic Smith brought home a run with a base hit through the left side. Thomas Norton was hit by a pitch to load the bases and David Becker unloaded them when he ripped a full-count pitch to right-center field for a three-run double than gave the Flames a 5-0 lead.
 
Starting pitcher Ryan Campbell issued three walks in the bottom of the first inning, but the Norse were unable to plate a run despite having the sacks packed with one out. Campbell struck out Griffin Doersching on three pitches and got the next hitter to bounce out Becker at second to end the threat.
 
UIC jumped all over NKU and pitcher Cameron Ross once again in the second inning. Aaron Ackerman singled with one away and Ogata walked with two down. With both runners in motion on a full-count pitch to Smith, they scored easily when the left fielder clobbered a double high off the wall in left field to make it 7-0. Norton laced the very next pitch into center field to score Smith before Becker drove in his fourth run of the game with a triple that carried a long way to center field.
 
Scott Ota drove in his 22^nd run of the season with an RBI groundout in the top of the third. Matt Bottcher, who singled on the infield to start the frame, scored on the play.
 
The Flames tacked on another run with one swing of the bat in the top of the fourth. The swing came from Smith, who this time cleared the wall in left field for his third home run of the season, giving UIC an 11-0 lead.
 
NKU dented the scoreboard for the first time with a two-run home run from Shane Paradis in the bottom of the fourth. Campbell would bounce right back and strike out two in the inning to limit the damage.
 
After the Norse added two more runs in the sixth inning to pull within seven, the Flames put the contest further out of reach in the top of the ninth. Derrick Patrick, Ackerman and Ota hit back-to-back-to back doubles to add two runs to UIC's tally before Norton later added an RBI single to put the visitors up by 10.
 
NKU's Chad Roberts led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a solo home run, but it was way too little and way too late as the Flames would win it 14-5.
 
Beyond the Box Score

• UIC's 14 runs Friday were the most in an Horizon League game this season and the most against a conference foe since scoring 13 vs. Oakland on May 5, 2017.
• The Flames scored in four consecutive innings (1-4) for the second time in as many games. UIC plated 12 total runs in innings 2-5 on Tuesday in a 17-1 victory over Viterbo. It is the only two occurrences this season in which the Flames scored in four consecutive games.
• The Flames improved to 6-0 when scoring 10-plus runs and 15-4 when scoring three times or more.
• UIC hit a season high with seven doubles at NKU. Three of the two-base hits came in consecutive fashion to open the ninth inning, while Derrick Patrick and David Becker each had two.
• Becker had a career-high four hits for the Flames, including his second triple in a UIC uniform. Becker is the fourth member of the team to register four hits in a game this season, joining Joshua Figueroa and Ryan Lin-Peistrup vs. Northern Illinois (March 14) and Scott Ota at UTRGV (Feb. 24).
• Becker and Dominic Smith each posted a career-best four RBI Friday. That ties them for the second-largest single-game output this year. Alex Dee had seven against NIU on March 14.
• Ota was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance to extend his streak of reaching base safely to a team-high 14 consecutive games.
• Ryan Campbell fanned a career-high nine hitters. He has posted at least five strikeouts in six of his nine starts this season.
• The Flames snapped a four-game losing streak away from home. UIC's last road win before Friday came at Georgia Tech on March 4, 12-5.

Up Next

• UIC and Northern Kentucky will continue the three-game series on Saturday, April 12 at noon CT.
• The Flames are slated to send junior Charlie Cerny to the mound. It will be his first start of the season and the third of his career. The Bloomington, Ill., native last opened a game at Missouri on March 5, 2016.
• Saturday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN3.