FAIRBORN, Ohio – UIC scored five times in the seventh and eighth innings Sunday afternoon to rally from a three-run deficit and knock off the first-place Wright State Raiders at Nischwitz Stadium, 7-4.
 
Freshman Ben Tharp made his first start of the season at third base and knocked in three runs with a couple of extra-base hits for UIC (25-16, 12-9 Horizon League). Aaron Ackerman has two RBI and Trey Beckman drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit double in the top of the eighth.
 
Reid Birlingmair worked a scoreless inning of relief to collect his fifth win of the season, and first out of the bullpen. Alex Padilla collected a six-out save, his seventh of the campaign. Jacob Key opened the game for the Flames and allowed two earned runs over 6.0 innings with five strikeouts against Wright State (31-14, 18-6). He did not walk a batter for the second consecutive outing.
 
How It Happened
Defensive miscues continued to cripple the Flames during the series and an error led to two unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning. Chase Slone reached on a throwing error with two outs and the next batter, Seth Gray, made UIC pay when he knocked a two-run home run down the right-field line to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead.
 
Wright State added another run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout from Slone to take a 3-0 lead. The Flames got right back in the ballgame in the top of the fifth, however. Thomas Smart singled to open the frame before Ryan Lin-Peistrup and Derrick Patrick each walked to load the bases. Aaron Ackerman, who moved back into the No. 2 slot in the order Sunday, drove in two runs on one swing with a single to left-center-field. Ackerman was thrown out at second base trying to stretch his single into a double, ending that threat.
 
The home team got one of the two runs right back with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. Zach Weatherford scored the run after a single, sacrifice bunt and a stolen base got him over to third base. That sacrifice fly put the Raiders in front, 4-2.
 
UIC looked to make another dent in the deficit during the top of the seventh when Dylan Gilbert hit a one-out double that chased WSU starting pitcher Zane Collins from the mound. Ben Tharp greeted Evan Moores with a two-bagger of his own to trade places with Gilbert and pull the Flames back to within a run. After Lin-Peistrup walked, the Raiders brought in another reliever and he would retire the next two UIC hitters in order to help his team maintain a one-run lead at 4-3.
 
Reid Birlingmair came on in relief of Jacob Key and shut down the Raiders in the bottom of the seventh, setting the table for UIC to snag its first lead since Friday in the top of the eighth. Dominic Smith walked to open the inning and he would score from second base when Matt Bottcher reached on an error to tie the game. Trey Beckman, a pinch hitter, gave the Flames a 5-4 lead when he cranked a double to center field that scored Bowen Ogata.
 
UIC was not done scoring in the eighth. After delivering a double in the seventh, Tharp muscled a triple to left-center field that brought home Bottcher and Beckman and gave the Flames a three-run cushion.
 
Closer Alex Padilla came on to open the eighth inning in an attempt to earn a six-out save. He got two quick outs in the bottom of the eighth before a pair of Raiders walked. The redshirt junior settled to get powerful clean-up hitter Gabe Snyder to pop up to Bottcher at second base and get away unscathed.
 
The Flames could not add to the three-run lead in the top of the ninth. WSU's Zane Harris walked to open the inning, but three batters later Padilla got pinch hitter Quincy Hamilton to fly out to Patrick in left field to nail down the 7-4 victory.
 
Beyond the Box Score

• The three pitchers used by the Flames held Wright State to only three hits in the series finale. In the last two games started by sophomore Jacob Key, UIC has surrendered only five hits and has not walked a batter in 18.0 innings.
• The Flames held the high-powered Raiders to a batting average of .211 over the three game set, but the home team scored six unearned runs during the series.
• Aaron Ackerman batted .385 in the three-game series and led UIC with five hits. He drove in three of the team's 11 runs.
• Freshman Ben Tharp made his third career start and first at third base on Sunday. He registered his first multi-hit game and second multi-RBI effort in a UIC uniform.
• Sophomore Dylan Gilbert has reached base safely in a team-high six consecutive games.
• Reliever Alex Padilla grabbed sole possession of second place on the program's all-time saves list with the 17^th of his career Sunday. He trails leader Brett Davis (30), but broke the tie with David Haehnel (16).
• Reid Birlingmair won for the first time since his last start which came on March 23 against Oakland. He has not allowed a run since March 9 against Chicago State.
• UIC maintained its second-place position in the Horizon League standings. The Flames are one game ahead of the Milwaukee Panthers. UIC has a head-to-head edge as it swept Milwaukee in the only regular-season series between the two teams this season.
• Wright State won four of six regular-season matchups this season after the Flames took three-of-five during the regular season, and two more during the conference tournament, a year ago. Four of the six games this season were decided by three runs or less.

Up Next

• UIC will continue its six-game Horizon League road trip at Oakland, May 11-13. The series begins on Friday, May 11 at 2 p.m. CT. The games on May 12 (noon CT) and May 13 (11 a.m. CT) will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The Flames won the first series of the season between the two teams, taking two-of-three at Granderson Stadium in March.