PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The UIC baseball team picked up its first two wins of the 2020 season Friday (March 6), winning a pair of games at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Flames took down St. Bonaventure, 6-1, in Friday's opener before exploding for an 11-2 victory in the team's second game.
 
Mark McCabe pitched a gem in the win over the Bonnies, throwing a complete game and allowing just two hits, one run and striking out four. Jacob Key followed suit against the Hoyas, throwing seven innings of one-run ball, allowing only one walk and fanning eight batters.
 
Trey Beckman shined at the plate, combining to go 4-for-7 at the plate in the two games, driving in a total of five runs. Matt Bottcher and Nick Lopez each registered three hits and three RBI for the Flames.
 
UIC returns to action Saturday (March 7) for Game 3 of the Snowbird Classic. The Flames will face Army West Point at 10:30 a.m. (CT).
 
How it Happened (Game One)

• The Flames struck first, plating three in the bottom of the third. Sean Dee and Bottcher got on base via walk and single, respectively, setting the stage for back-to-back run-scoring hits by Thomas Norton and Lopez. Norton ripped a double to left to drive home Dee and move Bottcher for third. Lopez followed with a single to drive home a pair.
• UIC tacked on two more in the fifth behind a pair of hits. Bottcher and Norton reached base before a double steal moved the runners into scoring position. A walk by Lopez loaded the bases, setting the table for Beckman to drive home a pair on a single through the right side.
• The Flames tacked on a sixth run in the seventh with a timely two-out hit. With runners on the corners, Cory Moore drove one through the right side of the infield to bring Thomas Smart.
• The Bonnies registered just their second hit of the game in the ninth with a solo home run to prevent the complete game shutout by McCabe.

 
How it Happened (Game Two)

• Georgetown jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI triple in the top of the second.
• The Hoyas' lead would last until the fourth when UIC evened the score at 1-all. The Flames had runners on the corner with one away when Norton grounded into a fielders choice. Georgetown was unable to turn the double play, allowing Dee to score from third.
• Ryan Lin-Peistrup walked, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth, and eventually came home to give the Flames the 2-1 lead on a passed ball.
• UIC broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. Joshua Figueroa came up with runners on first and third and drove Smart home on an RBI single to the third baseman. With the bases loaded, Lin-Peistrup executed the squeeze play, as his bunt to the second baseman brough Beckman home from third. Bottcher followed with a two-run single to right.
• After Georgetown plated a run in the top of the eighth, UIC put the game out of reach with a five-run bottom half of the frame. Two hits, a walk, a throwing error, a hit by pitch all contributed to the scoring, with Beckman capping the scoring with a bases-clearing double.

 
News and Notes

• Three pitchers for UIC combined to allow just three runs over the 18 innings of play and combined for 18 strikeouts. The pitching staff limited the two opponents to combine for .145 batting average.
• Seven of the 10 Flames who took an at-bat Friday recorded at least one hit. The Flames spread 15 hits over the two games, with two extra base hits.
• Beckman's three RBIs in Game 2 are a new single-game high for the redshirt senior.
• UIC played perfect defense, committing zero errors in the two games. The Flames entered the weekend first in the Horizon League and 41^st nationally in fielding percentage (.979).