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UIC Athletics

thevalley
Scott Ota
Luke Hales
3
UIC UIC 18-17, 11-7 HL
7
Winner Wright State WSU 30-13, 12-7 HL
UIC UIC
18-17, 11-7 HL
3
Final
7
Wright State WSU
30-13, 12-7 HL
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UIC UIC 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 5 2
Wright State WSU 0 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 X 7 9 1

W: Bear Bellomy (5-3) L: Key, Jacob (5-6)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Ota Goes Deep Again, Flames Fall at WSU

Senior hit 15th home run of season Friday night

FAIRBORN, Ohio – Scott Ota slugged his 15th home run of the season for UIC on Friday evening, but the Flames fell into a five-run deficit that they were unable to overcome as Wright State took the first game of the three-game series, 7-3.

Ota's two-run blast came in the top of the fourth inning for UIC (18-17, 11-7 Horizon League) after Wright State (30-13, 12-7 Horizon League) pushed across five runs in the bottom of the third. The Flames pulled to within two on Ryan Hampe's RBI single in the top of the sixth, but the visitors would not be able to close the gap further.

How It Happened
  • Scoreless through two and half innings, Wright State began the scoring with five runs on five hits in the bottom of the third. The big blow came on Steve Weatherford's two-run triple against UIC starting pitcher Jacob Key.
  • Chris Papapietro broke up WSU's no-hitter with one out in the top of the fourth inning as he slapped a single to right field. Then Ota stepped up and launched a laser out to right field that pulled the Flames back to within three runs.
  • UIC continued to claw back in the top of the sixth. Matt Bottcher walked and advanced to third base when Papapietro reached on an error. With two down, Hampe notched an RBI single to right field to trim the deficit to two runs.
  • Wright State put the decision away with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Seth Gray was hit by the bases loaded to bring home the first tally before Weatherford singled to right field to net the seventh run for the Raiders.
Notable
  • Scott Ota extended his hitting streak to a team-high 20 games with his fourth-inning home run. He has hit safely in 28 of UIC's 35 games this season.
  • Ota's 15 home runs are the most in a season for a UIC batter since Bart Babineaux set the program's single-season record with 18 in 2006.
  • The senior has five more home runs than any other Horizon League player this season and he has hit nine of his 15 in conference games. Ota is hitting .416 with seven doubles, a triple and nine home runs in 18 Horizon League games. He is slugging .883 and has 27 RBI and 68 total bases.
  • Ryan Hampe is tied for the Horizon League lead with a batting average of .429 in conference games. He also ranks second in on-base percentage (.500) and is tied for third with seven doubles in League games.
  • Joshua Figueroa has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.  He singled with two outs in the top of the ninth to keep that streak alive Friday.
On Deck
  • After the game it was announced that Saturday's game will start one hour earlier than previously announced at 12 p.m. CT. It will air on ESPN+.
  • Joey Fredrickson is slated to pitch for the Flames. He would make his first appearance since April 13 against Northern Kentucky.
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