DAYTON, Ohio – In a matchup of the Horizon League's top two seeds in the conference tournament, it was the host team Wright State that prevailed over the second-seeded UIC Flames at Nischwitz Stadium Friday afternoon, 15-4.
UIC (30-17) was limited to four runs on four hits in a complete-game effort from Wright State (34-11) starting pitcher
Bradley Brehmer. Horizon League Player of the Year
Quincy Hamilton hit a pair of home runs for the Raiders and drove in five to pace the offense.
Joshua Figueroa gave the Flames a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when he cranked his seventh home run of the season to right-center field. WSU got one back in the bottom of the frame and that was the start of a surge of nine unanswered runs for the home team.
UIC tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to slice the deficit to five.
Thomas Smart scored on a single from
Matt Bottcher and a Raider error. Later, Figueroa collected a sacrifice fly that plated Bottcher.
Wright State added six runs on a pair of three-run homers, one in the bottom of the seventh and one in the eighth, to set the final margin.
The Flames move to an elimination game against No. 4 Milwaukee on Friday evening. The contest can be seen on ESPN+. The winner of that contest will advance to face the unbeaten Raiders on Championship Saturday with the first pitch of game one slated for 11 a.m. CT. If necessary, game two follows at approximately 3 p.m.
