FAIRBORN, Ohio – It took an extra inning to complete, but the UIC Flames hung five runs on the scoreboard in the top of the 10
th inning to knock off No. 1 Wright State, 11-6. The victory secured UIC's spot on Championship Saturday of the Horizon League Tournament for third consecutive season.
Scott Ota's RBI single in the 10
th gave UIC (28-21) the lead before
Ryan Hampe,
Joshua Figueroa and
David Becker all padded the advantage.
Figueroa matched a career high with four hits for the Flames and he drove in three runs in the triumph. Ota and
Thomas Smart each had two hits and Ota scored three runs.
Alex Padilla registered his first victory of the season on the strength of 2.2 scoreless innings of relief.
How It Happened
- UIC struck first in the top of the second inning. Matt Bottcher and Joshua Figueroa opened the frame with base hits and Thomas Smart reached safely on an error to load the bases. Alex Dee then worked the count full and drew a walk that scored Bottcher. Wright State limited the damage with help of a double play on a line drive to third base and a ground ball to second base that ended the threat.
- The Flames extended the lead in the top of the third inning. Scott Ota doubled with nobody out to give UIC a pair of runners in scoring position. Bottcher plated Ryan Lin-Peistrup on an RBI groundout before Joshua Figueroa ripped a two-out single to center field that scored Ota and put the visitors in front, 3-0.
- The Raiders scored a bunch in the bottom of the third to grab the lead for the first time. WSU loaded the bases with nobody out and a sacrifice fly followed by a three-run home run from Horizon League Player of the Year Peyton Burdick put the Raiders in front 4-3.
- The Flames fired back in front with a three-run effort in the top of the fifth. After back-to-back walks and a sacrifice bunt set up two runners in scoring position for Figueroa. The backstop delivered his third hit in as many at-bats, a smash off WSU third baseman Seth Gray that scored Ota. Later with two away, Sean Dee flipped a base hit into shallow right field that scored both Figueroa and Thomas Smart to gain a 6-4 lead for UIC.
- Wright State cut into the deficit with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Joey Fredrickson faced a bases-loaded jam with one out. The veteran got a fly ball on the field and a strikeout to end the inning.
- A two-out rally helped the home team even the ledger in the bottom of the seventh. Burdick blooped a single into shallow center field to keep the inning alive. Then Gray tripled down the right-field line to drive in his second run of the game and tie the score at 6-6.
- After UIC loaded the bases with one away in the bottom of the eighth, the Raiders picked up two strikeouts to escape with the tie intact. Wright State looked to capitalize in the bottom of the inning, but Relief Pitcher of the Year Alex Padilla came on in relief and picked two outs to leave a pair of Raiders on base as the inning ended.
- Padilla stranded three Raiders in the bottom of the ninth and the offense totok over in the top of the 10th. Derrick Patrick and Lin-Peistrup reached to open the inning setting the stage for one of the nation's most dangerous hitters, Ota. The right fielder delivered and RBI single to give the Flames the lead, but they were not done there. The next hitter, Ryan Hampe blistered a double down the right-field line that scored Lin-Peistrup from third base and Ota all the way from first to make it a 9-6 lead. After a sacrifice bunt from Bottcher, his second of the game, Figueroa put down a squeeze bunt to plate Hampe and hit 10 runs for the second time in the tournament. The 11th run when David Becker banged a double high off the left-field wall to plate Smart from second base.
- After allowing some traffic in the ninth, Padilla pitched a perfect bottom of the 10th to collect his first win of the season and send the Flames on to Championship Saturday.
Notable
- UIC improved to 21-0 when scoring at least six runs this season. The Flames have scored 10-plus runs nine times this season and 29 runs through two games of the Horizon League Championship.
- UIC has scored 49 runs in its last three games and is averaging 14.5 runs in two Horizon League Championship games.
- Scott Ota's RBI single in the top of the 10th pulled him into a tie with Frank Provenzano for the most RBI in UIC history with 160. He now has four RBI in the tournament and is one of four Flames with at least four runs driven in over the last two days.
- Ota scored a team-high three runs against the Raiders.
- Joshua Figueroa matched his career high with four hits Friday, reaching via a knock in his first four at-bats. It is a season high for the redshirt sophomore from Chicago.
- Joey Fredrickson struck out only one batter and it was the last one he faced, WSU catcher Brandon Giltrow.
- Sam Menegat allowed his first run since March 23, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive scoreless appearances for the junior. It was only the second run scored by an Horizon League foe with the Raiders accounting for both.
- Alex Padilla picked up his first win of the season in his team-high 25th appearance of the season. It was his third career victory in his 75th appearance at UIC.
- In both Horizon League Tournament games this weekend, UIC scored its first walk via a base on balls. Alex Dee walked to force in the first run on Friday, while younger brother Sean had one of his tournament-record five walks to open the scoring for the Flames on Thursday.
- UIC has won 10 of 12 games in May, and eight of its last nine overall. Friday's win was the first in extra innings for the Flames in 2019.
On Deck
- No. 2 UIC, which has not lost in this double-elimination tournament, will take on No. 3 Milwaukee on Saturday at 11 a.m.
- The Panthers eliminated Wright State with a 10-9 victory after UIC defeated the Raiders.
- The Flames handed Milwaukee an 18-10 loss on Thursday. UIC is 5-1 against Milwaukee this season.
- The game will air on ESPN+.
