Skip To Main Content

UIC Athletics

thevalley
Ryan Hampe
5
Milwaukee MKE 35-21-1
6
Winner UIC UIC 29-21
Milwaukee MKE
35-21-1
5
Final
6
UIC UIC
29-21
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Milwaukee MKE 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 5 10 2
UIC UIC 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 0 X 6 7 0

W: Oliff, Nick (1-0) L: REKLAITIS (9-5) S: Padilla, Alex (7)

Game Recap: Baseball |

CHAMPIONS! Flames Secure Another #HLBASE Title

FAIRBORN, Ohio – UIC captured its sixth Horizon League Tournament title on Saturday afternoon by coming from behind and knocking off No. 3 Milwaukee, 6-5.

Tournament MVP, Ryan Hampe, homered twice on Saturday, and his solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the second-seeded Flames (29-21) the lead once and for all. The freshman drove in four of UIC's six runs and he led all players with three hits in the ballgame. Milwaukee (35-21-1) scored the first three runs of the day before the Flames scored twice in the fourth on Hampe's two-run homer. UIC took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Panthers evened the ledge in the top of the sixth. Hampe put UIC ahead in the seventh and All-Tournament selection Alex Padilla worked the final 1.2 innings to collect the save.

In addition to Hampe and Padilla, senior Scott Ota and sophomore Ryan Lin-Peistrup also collected spots on the All-Tournament Team.

This is the sixth NCAA Regional bid secured by UIC under head coach Mike Dee, and the second in the last three seasons. The Flames played in the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional in 2017.

How It Happened
  • After Patrick Martin mowed the Panthers down in order in the first inning, Milwaukee scored a two-out run in the top of the second. Jack Thelen belted an RBI double to the deepest part of the ballpark that allowed Tyler Bordner to come around and score from first base.
  • The Panthers expanded the lead in the top of the fourth. Three consecutive singles through the five hole led to a run before a double off the wall in left field plated another tally to make it 3-0.
  • In the bottom of the fourth UIC finally broke through against Jared Reklaitis. Scott Ota walked with one away before Hampe hammered his second home run of the tournament deep to left field to cut the deficit to a run.
  • After Nick Oliff worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth, the offense gained the lead for the first time. The Flames scored three times, all with two outs, to gain a 5-3 advantage. Lin-Peistrup, Ota and Hampe all produced RBI singles for UIC.
  • The Panthers retaliated with a two-run single in the top of the sixth, but Oliff picked up a nifty 3-6-1 double play to limit any further damage and get off the mound with the score tied at 5-5.
  • Hampe came up with the biggest hit of his collegiate career in the bottom of the seventh. The New Lenox, Ill., native stepped in with two away and blasted another home run to center field to give the Flames the lead once and for all.
  • With the support of a one-run lead, Oliff picked up the first out in the top of eighth inning before coach Dee called on Padilla for a five-out save. The senior walked the first batter he faced before inducing a 4-6-3 double play that ended a Panther threat in the frame.
  • The Flames could not add on in the bottom of the eighth, giving Milwaukee one last chance. Padilla got two quick outs before Bordner extended the game with a two-out walk. The next hitter hit a ball out to left field that carried a long way, but hung up in the wind just enough to allow UIC's Thomas Smart to leap and make a catch against the wall for the final out, sending the Flames into a frenzy.
Notable
  • Ryan Hampe batted .429 with six hits in three Horizon League Championship games this weekend. Three of his six hits left the ballpark as the tournament MVP posted the first multi-home run game of his career. Hampe also doubled and drove in eight runs in the tournament.
  • The three UIC hitters that made the All-Tournament Team – Hampe, Scott Ota and Ryan Lin-Peistrup – drove in 20 of UIC's 34 runs during the championship.
  • Ota became UIC's all-time leader in RBI with his base hit in the fifth inning. The single that scored Sean Dee was the 161st run driven in in his career.
  • Alex Padilla went 1-0 with a save in 4.1 scoreless innings of relief against No. 1 Wright State on Friday and No. 3 Milwaukee on Saturday.
  • Nick Oliff registered his first career victory Saturday. The senior threw 4.0 innings of relief against the Panthers.
  • UIC batted .330 in three tournament games and had six players hit .333 or better. Ten different Flames drove in at least one run in the balanced attack.
  • UIC improved to 22-0 when scoring at least six runs this season. The Flames are 28-0 when leading after the seventh inning.
  • UIC has won 11 of 13 games in May, and nine of its last 10 overall.
Full Championship Highlights


On Deck
  • UIC will learn its NCAA Regional destination on Monday, May 27 at 11 a.m.
  • The selection show will air on ESPNU.
  • The 16 regional hosts will be unveiled on Sunday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

 
Print Friendly Version