CHICAGO -- UIC slid back into the win column on Tuesday afternoon, when it took down the visiting Chicago State Cougars at Granderson Stadium, 7-1.
Scott Ota drove in two runs for UIC (3-8), one of which came on his third home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning.
David Becker led all players in the game with two hits for the Flames.
Braden Toikka threw 4.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts to begin a parade of six pitchers used by the Flames.
How It Happened
- Scott Ota helped UIC break into the scoring column first on Tuesday. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, he worked it to full and lifted the seventh pitch of his at-bat down the line and over the fence in right field for a solo home run, his third blast of the young season.
- The second inning brought another tally for the home team. David Becker launched a double to center field with one away and he went from first-to-third on Chris Papapietro's check-swing single to shallow center field. Joshua Figueroa stepped up and ripped a laser to right-center field that drove in Becker and gave UIC a 2-0 lead. Sean Dee put down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position, but the Cougars got a ground ball to second base to end the frame.
- The Flames pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Derrick Patrick drew a walk to begin the rally and two batters later he stole second base before Thomas Smart muscled a triple to right-center field that scored UIC's left fielder with ease. Smart would later score when Becker dropped a base hit through the left side of the infield with two outs.
- Chicago State held the Flames off the scoreboard in the middle three innings before UIC added on in the bottom of the seventh. Patrick singled and moved to second base when Ota walked. Smart sacrificed the runners up 90 feet before pinch hitter Tom Farrell connected on a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to five runs.
- The Cougars scratched out a run in the top of the eighth with Jon Coss III scoring after he reached on an error to start the frame. CSU loaded the bases with only one out, but reliever Sam Menegat kept the Cougars from adding on with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
- UIC tacked on its final two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Ryan Hampe doubled to open the inning and later scored on an RBI groundout from Ota. Farrell later walked with the bases loaded to bring in Alex Dee.
Notable
- Scott Ota's home run was the fifth of the season for UIC and his third. It was the first home run in three games at Granderson Stadium.
- David Becker's second-inning double was his first hit of the season in his fifth at-bat.
- Ryan Hampe's pinch-hit double was the first extra-base hit of his career.
- Thomas Smart hit his first career triple Tuesday and the team's second in as many games. Chris Papapietro tripled in the second game of the doubleheader against CSU on March 8.
- Six different players scored UIC's seven runs on Tuesday with only Derrick Patrick coming home twice. Seven players recorded the team's eight hits with Becker providing a multi-hit effort.
- Braeden Toikka started and struck out four Cougars in 4.0 IP. He fanned the first two batters of the game, plus one in the third inning and one in the fourth. The senior caught his final two victims looking at strike three.
- Mark McCabe, Nick Oliff and Alex Padilla each faced only three batters in their respective inning of work on the mound. Oliff and Padilla needed only 10 pitches each, while McCabe threw 12.
- Six runs marked the largest margin of victory on the young season. The previous high, five, came in the first win of the year at Texas A&M on Feb. 24.
On Deck
